


I Will Be Your Angel On The Ground

by ButIWillLove



Series: Angel With A Shotgun [1]
Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Angels vs. Demons, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Hollstein - Freeform, Hollstein is endgame I promise, Romantic Fluff, SO MUCH FLUFF, angel with a shotgun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-13
Updated: 2016-01-25
Packaged: 2018-04-20 13:10:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 84,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4788404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ButIWillLove/pseuds/ButIWillLove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the small town of Silas, NC, Laura lives with her father and works as a server with her friend Kirsch who is a bartender in a restaurant on the boardwalk which is owned by Lafontaine and their family called The Fresh Start. It is the beginning of summer break and everyone is back in training for their summer jobs. New to town are Carmilla and Will, two siblings who unbeknownst to anyone are actually demons, fallen angels who have been sent to Earth to create trouble. The only problem is the two angels, Danny and Perry, who have also been sent to Silas to investigate and correct the unbalance of peace and chaos created by the demons. Each side has their mission and sees nothing else, that is until they meet Laura. The dorky blonde seems to show everyone that the world isn't black and white, but instead one large shade of gray...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Summer Begins

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr with any questions, comments, or if you just want to talk! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/butiwilllove

Prologue

(Styria, Austria-Circa 1871)

-Carmilla-

_Shit_

No, this couldn’t be happening. She’d had a plan, how could it all go so wrong? Carmilla is running as fast as she can, dark locks fanning out behind her as she leaps. Raven colored wings burst from her back as she takes flight. Her wings pump as hard as they can, but not quickly enough. She knows it will never be fast enough but she can’t give up, she won’t.

She is almost there; the mansion is in her sights. Carmilla lands gracefullyalready in full stride as her wings retract and she runs through the large wooden doors. All is quiet, the once bustling household is like a grave. Carmilla knows what this means but wastes no time searching for the inhabitants, there is no hope for them now.

“Elle! Elle!” Carmilla’s cries echo down the abandoned hallways as she crashes through one door after another, revealing nothing. She reaches the door to the basement and throws it open but quickly recoils. The overwhelming smell of death hits Carmilla like a brick wall. Well she found the rest of the household. She spins and makes her way back to the main room, calling Elle’s name over and over. She had looked everywhere, where could she be? Then it hits her; the garden.

Carmilla races out the back door and over the patio, past the stables and into the somewhat maze-like garden. Not bothering with taking the turns, she runs right through the wall-like hedges again and again until she reaches the center of the maze. Almost ironically, the pond situated in the middle of the maze surrounded by flowers and lilies was as still as glass. There wasn’t a sound to be heard, the animals sensing the danger and hiding just as she should be. A statue of an angel with its wings spread and arms up as a sign of peace stood near the opposite side, a monument to this family’s beliefs. It is what lies next to the pond that chills Carmilla to the bone. A young woman is crumpled on the ground as if asleep, but Carmilla knows that isn’t the case. The stench of death emanating from the still form makes the demon choke.

It wasn’t a smell as one would imagine but more of a presence, or lack of one, that Carmilla could sense. What once held such life and happiness was now a void that seemed to suck in energy, as though trying to find what it once held. Carmilla falls to the ground with a sob. She was gone. Elle was dead.

Carmilla’s mind goes blank and everything feels like it is muffled with cotton. A woman steps out from behind the statue, a look of distaste carved into her features. She vaguely remembers standing which uses all of her energy. The only thing Carmilla knows right then is dread and hopelessness. Mother had caught her and there was no way she was getting out of this without punishment.

Maybe Mother would be merciful and just kill her. No, that would be too kind. Suddenly a blur falls from the sky, hitting the earth and sending dust into the air. Carmilla doesn’t even flinch, she must be in shock. A tall, redheaded angel appears from the dust cloud, shaking her enormous white wings like a dog. The new arrival approaches with a look of pure seriousness. The angel turns to Carmilla, yelling something incoherent to the demon in her current state.

The only thing going through the brunette’s head was “She is dead. She is dead. This can’t be real.”

Suddenly Mother points to the pond. The ground begins to shake and the little pool disappears, leaving a hole behind where the screams and agonizing shrieks of hell itself pour forth. The cacophony wakes Carmilla up from her daze just in time for her to witness the angel, Danny was her name, crumple to the ground from the overwhelming noise.

Mother smiles that awful smile, “Catch” she says simply as she holds out her hand and flings it upwards, an unseen force throwing the body straight up in the air. Carmilla doesn’t even think as her wings burst from her back once more and she shoots straight up towards the limp form. As she is about to reach the woman, a surge of pure pain blasts Carmilla past the now falling body of Elle. Gritting her teeth and ignoring the pain, the demon throws all she has into a freefall towards the body which is tumbling straight into the abyss made by mother. Straight into hell.

Carmilla reaches the lifeless shell just in time to wrap her wings around her and the body before they drop right into the blackness. A burst of flame rushes out of the gateway as if pretending to cushion their fall and everything goes dark.

-Danny-

The excruciating pain in Danny’s head is almost suddenly gone, the noise enveloping the area had become muffled. She relaxes her arms that were clawing at her ears, doing anything they could to deafen the harshness pouring forth from the gateway. Looking up, all Danny sees is the woman standing next to the chasm as Carmilla disappears into a burst of flame surging from what she had to assume was hell.

The woman turns toward Danny and gives her a smile that sends chills up the angel’s spine. “Do me favor, won’t you?” She asks. “When you go running back to your master, tell them that I have something to take care of but not to miss me too much.”

Danny just stares stupidly, saying the first thing that comes to her head. “Who are you?”

The woman’s laugh is like the sound of pure evil, but she looks genuinely amused. “You must be new,” the dark figure chuckles, “I have many names. Some call me Beelzebub. Some call me Beast or Abaddon, Belial or Antichrist. I have been called Serpent, Tempter, Lucifer, even Satan. I have many names, you may choose whichever you like.” With that, she takes a step backwards into the hole and is gone. Immediately the hole closes and the pond is back, everything as it was before. A single ripple on the surface of the water is the only indication that anything had taken place here. All Danny can do is stare at the pool in disbelief. The sun is shining on her wings; the sounds of animals begin to come back as they sense the evil has left. Danny is frozen in shock.

“Carmilla, what have you done?”

 

Chapter 1

-Laura-

            _“In the most recent of the bizarre series of events that started months ago in our small town of Silas, the missing motorist who vanished last Wednesday and launched a massive search and rescue was found disoriented but otherwise completely healthy on the side of route 571 just last night. After being taken to Silas Community Hospital, the motorist John Randall was cleared and released. Unfortunately, we have no leads on this baffling occurrence due to the memory loss Mr. Randall is suffering. In his statement to police, Mr. Randall claimed to have no memory of the 3 days he was missing. In fact, Mr. Randall…’_

The television screen went black as Mr. Hollis put the remote down on the table, grabbing his EMT jacket and heading towards the door. “Dad! I was watching that!” Laura whined with her mouth full of Honey Nut Cheerios.

“Sorry honey,” he called behind him, “I have to get to work and you have the first day of a summer job to get to if I remember correctly. Do you want a ride now or do you want to take your bike?”

“It’s only a few blocks I can ride my bike,” Laura called as her father opened the door, “Plus if I’m a little late it will be alright. You know Laf and their parents are very laid back. And it’s not like this is my first time working there.” Her father turned in the doorway and lightheartedly replied, “Not even Laf will be able to save you if you are late on your first day.”

“Ugh okay,” Laura groaned as she gulped the last of her cereal. “I’m still going to ride my bike though so have a good day. I love you!”

“I love you too honey, and have a great first day of summer break. You earned it after your grades this semester.” Laura’s father smiled proudly and left. Getting up Laura rinsed her bowl and put it in the dishwasher before heading towards the garage. She stopped in front of the mirror on the way and brushed her fingers through her dirty blonde hair. Satisfied she was ready; she bounced into the garage and grabbed her bike and the lock as the door to the garage opened automatically.

Once she was sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, Laura made her way to the familiar little bar and grill that she had known all her life. Situated right on the beach with a back porch that stretched right to the boardwalk was The Fresh Start, the family friendly bar and grill that Laf’s parents owned. Laura pulled her bike up alongside the building and looped the lock around the bike, clipping it into place. The smell of the early morning breeze coming off of the ocean made Laura close her eyes and inhale a deep breath. _My God the memories that smell brings up_. Laura shook her head, she can’t think about that right now.

She made her way up the ramp to the boardwalk and around the patio to reach the back door to The Fresh, which is where employees come and go before 10 AM when the restaurant opens. Laura rushes through the door at exactly 8 AM, just on time. As soon as she closes the door and turns around, Laura is met with quite a few stares as she realized she is in fact the last one to arrive. She smiled sheepishly and mumbled a quick “Sorry” to Laf who was standing in front of a couple tables filled with employees. She made her way to an empty seat and sat down looking apologetic.

Laf waved a dismissive hand at Laura and replied “It’s fine, we were just about to get started.”

Laf then addressed the entire group in front of them saying, “Hello everyone, my name is Lafontaine, but you can call me Laf. I am going to be your general manager here at The Fresh Start. I already see some familiar faces but we have a few new people so we are going to play that game where we go around and introduce ourselves. You just need to stand up, say your name, say what you will be doing here, then one interesting fact about you so we can get to know you a little better.”

Amidst a small chorus of groans from a few of the more sleepy looking employees, Laf inserted, “Come on everyone, it will be quick and more importantly will help you get to be a little more comfortable around each other. This is a family restaurant and I expect everyone to behave and treat each other like family. So I will begin. Hey everyone. Once again my name is Laf and I am your general manager. I prefer they/them pronouns.”

When they finished, they took a casual seat on the table behind them and motioned for the woman to their right to begin. The woman held herself in what Laura could only describe as a professional manner and with exceptionally wavy red hair and yet she somehow still managed to look extremely graceful at the same time. “Hello. My name is Perry. I will be the head chef and culinary manager here this summer. I like cleanliness so as long as you keep a clean station I am sure we will get along splendidly. Also I want to say that if anyone has a problem or needs anything I am here to help any way I can.”

Perry sat down and the man next to her stood up to introduce himself. Laura smiled at his goofy grin and he winked back at her. “Hello lovely ladies, my name is Kirsch,” he managed to get out before Laf cleared their throat very loudly and he rephrased himself, “Lovely ladies and awesome people.”

Kirsch winked at Laf and they nodded in joking approval.

“Like I said my name is Kirsch and I am a bartender here. I have been working here for the past three years so if anyone has any questions, I’m here to help.” Kirsch winked at Laura before sitting down. The introductions continued around the circle. There was a large cluster of employees whose names Laura forgot almost instantly; however there were a few that she was able to remember. There was a tall blonde named Betty and a shorter blonde named Elsie who both would be serving, and a tall good looking kid named JP who would be bartending. Further down the line were Laf’s parents Jenny and Jim who introduced themselves as the owners, and two girls, Natalie and SJ who would both be working with Perry in the kitchen.

Finally reaching Laura, the last to introduce herself, the door opened and sunlight poured in. Everyone turned to look at the silhouette of a woman in the doorway.

Laura felt like she had been hit by a brick wall. A pull so strong she had to physically restrain herself from moving in any way towards the new arrival gripped Laura as soon as her eyes fell on the figure in the doorway. Her mouth suddenly went dry and her heart was beating so fast it was practically skipping, Laura would have fallen if she hadn't been sitting. Time slowed down as her whole and complete attention was on the woman, it felt as though her brain had turned to mush.

The door finally closed, cutting off the sunlight and revealing the newcomer. If possible, actually seeing the woman in detail made Laura's heart beat even faster. She was maybe an inch or two taller than the tiny girl and had wavy raven colored hair that flowed past a jawline so sharp it could cut you.

Her face had an expression of laziness when she said with a voice that would make an angel cry "Sorry I'm late, hope I didn't miss anything exciting."

Laura couldn't stop looking at the beauty. Her chocolate brown eyes scanned the room and when they landed on the tiny blonde who couldn't seem to look away, they widened as though in recognition. The look was gone so quickly Laura couldn't even be sure she had actually seen it. Regardless, just having this stranger look at her snapped Laura out of whatever trance she had been in and she felt herself blushing as she averted her gaze down at her hands in her lap. Even after losing eye contact Laura felt the same incredible pull towards this goddess.

_What the heck is going on?_

-Carmilla-

God, no one should have to wake up this early for any reason. Carmilla’s head was pounding as she made her way to her car. The red jeep wrangler had the top off of it and a surfboard hung out the back. It was already 8 AM, which is when the meeting she was heading to was supposed to start. Since she was already late grabbing a coffee wouldn’t hurt, right? Rolling the sleeves of her red plaid shirt up to her elbows, Carmilla started her car and headed in the direction of the nearest place offering a semi decent cup of coffee.

Half an hour late, Carmilla finally pulled her car into the closest open spot to her destination; a beach bar and restaurant that she would be “working” at while she proceeded with her objective. She walked up the ramp to the boardwalk to enter the back door of The Fresh Start, her eyes wandering over to the beach where the lifeguards were training before the summer season began. They were split into two groups, one paddling their foam boards out to a buoy and back, and another was running sprints in the sand. Her eyes found the short black hair of her “brother” William who was running in front of the pack.

“What a showoff,” she scoffed under her breath. His first mission to Earth and he was parading around like the idiot newbie he was.

Carmilla was turning towards the door to the restaurant when she spotted a flash of red out of the corner of her eye. She swiveled to check if she had seen correctly.

Carmilla groaned, “Oh fuck me.”

Sitting on her board out at the buoy was a tall ginger lifeguard. Her slim figure perfectly hugged by a red bathing suit with a large white plus sign on the chest. Of course it would be Danny that she had to deal with. Again. She would have to make sure Will knew what she was. Knowing him he would be too busy strutting his stuff to sense the angel’s strong aura. Carmilla sighed and turned back to the restaurant, now annoyed at having to deal with Clifford once again.

Carmilla opened the door to the restaurant without caring about being too quiet and stepped in, shutting the door behind her. She felt the angelic aura immediately. She glanced around the room to see a strict looking woman with curly red hair standing next to a shorter woman with short red hair who had an extremely excited smile on her face.

 _Fantastic,_ Carmilla thought to herself, _I have to deal with one here too_.

“Sorry I’m late, hope I didn’t miss anything exciting,” she drawled in a lazy voice, glad she seemed to have missed the ‘team building’ exercises that had obviously been going on.

Carmilla’s gaze fell on a small blonde girl to the left of the red head twins and who had a dumbstruck expression plastered on her face. Carmilla felt like someone was using her stomach as a baseball and they had just hit a grand slam; her eyes widened and her heart took off. Knowing that everyone in the room had their eyes on her, it took everything the brunette had to put on a facade of nonchalance and make her way to the only empty seat in the little circle. Of course it would be next to the little blonde.

“Actually you are just in time to introduce yourself before this meeting gets fully started!” the short haired one chatted happily, “Laura here is about to go, then it is your turn. You just need to say your name, what position you will be working here, and an interesting fact about yourself.”

After her first step in the girl’s direction, the blonde peered down into her lap and avoided Carmilla’s gaze. “ _Who the hell was this girl?_ ”she wondered as she sat down, barely registering what the chick to her left was saying.

“I will show you,” the woman continued. “My name is LaFontaine but you can call me Laf. I am the general manager here at The Fresh and I prefer they/them pronouns.” The woman, no, the person nodded their head at the blonde to Carmilla’s right and she stood up.

“Hello everyone.” Her voice was shaking, but she cleared her throat and continued. “Hello everyone! My name is Laura Hollis and I will be working here as a server. Let me see, a fact about myself is that I am going to be graduating from Silas College next year in journalism!”

 _Fan-fucking-tastic,_ s _he is a morning person._

As Laura sat down Carmilla begrudgingly stood and introduced herself.

“Hi. I’m Carmilla and I will be here bartending. I just moved here with my brother Will.”

As Carmilla sat down, the giant child of a man who sat across from her pumped his fist in the air and exclaimed “Sweet! Hottie is behind the bar with me!” A stern look from Laf made him rephrase “I mean, Carmilla is behind the bar with me.”

“Okay everyone! Back of the house, head to the kitchen with Perry, you will be training there all day. Mom, Dad, you will be out here with Laura helping to train the servers. Bartenders, you are with me behind the bar. Okay, and BREAK!” Laf clapped their hands once loudly and everyone separated into their groups and made their way to their designated stations. Carmilla took her time standing and sauntered to the bar where Laf and the other few bartenders were standing.

The giant child bounded up to her and she could practically see his tail wagging.

“Hey pretty lady, my name is Kirsch. If you need anything let me know, I will do whatever I can to help a sexy woman like you.” he said with a smile on his face.

“Oh buddy you are so barking up the wrong tree.” Carmilla replied with a knowing smile before mentally kicking herself and moving around him to sit at the barstool Laf had motioned to from their spot behind the bar. Kirsch came up and sat a stool away on Carmilla’s right and the others fanned out to her left.

“Okay everyone, welcome to bar basics 101,” Lafontaine said as they methodically pulled one of each kind of glass from around the bar and lined them up, while never taking their eyes off of their employees. “I know how much you know Kirsch but I’m just going over it all to make sure you all know and remember everything.”

Carmilla was bored already, this was such easy stuff but she played along. However she couldn’t get her mind off of the little blonde girl who was speaking behind her a mile a minute to the new servers. What was with this girl and why did just the sight of her make Carmilla react the way she did? Carmilla’s pulse was still erratic and it was taking everything she had not to turn around and unabashedly stare at the tiny girl. What was going on?

-Laura-

It was about 11 AM when Laf called from the bar “Hey Perry, how is lunch coming?”

“Give us about 5 more minutes and it will be ready!” came Perry’s reply.

“Ok everyone! Laura I need you to set up some tables with place settings so we can all try the food. Bartenders make a few of the drinks for anyone over twenty-one to try and I will pour some water for everyone else.” Laf was fitting into her new role as manager very well Laura observed. Her friend had been working at their parent’s restaurant since she could remember and this summer was the first that their parents had finally told them that they wanted Laf to be manager. Laura had been thrilled at this because she knew how much Lafontaine had wanted this and for so long.

Since the moment she had laid eyes on the silhouette of Carmilla in the doorway, Laura couldn’t keep her mind off of the mysterious new bartender. But Laura was training the new servers and couldn’t let whatever this woman was doing to her get in the way of that. She motioned for Betty and Elsie to get up and move some tables around so that there were enough seats for everyone. Just as the other servers finished grabbing utensils and the bartenders brought over the drinks, Perry and her trainees came out of the kitchen with plates of hot food for everyone to try.

Laura wasn’t sure if she was upset or glad that Carmilla sat a few seats away from her. She didn’t even know this woman and Laura already couldn’t keep her eyes off of her. As everyone sat down Perry pointed out each dish and explained what was in them. After she finished everyone took a sample from each dish to try and began to eat. A few minutes of silence made way into a chatty lunch. Laura was sitting in between Kirsch and Lafontaine, her two best friends since grade school.

“So how do you like managing so far Laf?” Laura asked before popping a bite of fettuccine alfredo in her mouth.

“Oh I love it! I got to hire everyone and my parents are keeping their promise to let me be in charge completely! I’m so excited to open next weekend!” Lafontaine gushed and Laura smiled. She loved seeing her friend so happy.

“Hey, thanks little manager for hooking me up with that hottie bartender for the summer. I feel like this summer is going to be great!” Kirsch added through a mouthful of burger.

“Oh come on Kirsch you don’t actually think she is into you, do you?” Laf countered, “It’s pretty obvious she plays for Laura’s team,” they said with a knowing smile as they nudged Laura with their shoulder and laughed.

Laura’s face turned bright red as her food went down the wrong pipe and she started coughing. She quickly grabbed her glass of water as Laf pounded her back to help get the food back up. Kirsch looked horrified.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked incredulously.

Laf glared at him as Laura gulped the water, trying to recover from breathing in her food. Everyone at the table had stopped eating and was looking at Laura trying to regain her composure.

“I’m okay!” Laura managed to wheeze out to the rest of the table and they all returned to their conversations.

Laf hissed under their breath to Kirsch “Dude really? She is totally gay!”

Laura held up both hands to keep them from bickering over her and she looked at Laf and said, “How do you even know that?”

The redhead gave her with a puzzled look and replied “Ummmm, isn’t it obvious?”

Both Laura and Kirsch turned to look at the woman smiling seductively at Elsie who is sitting across the table from the brunette and is obviously enjoying the attention. As soon as Laura laid eyes on Carmilla her heart started beating rapidly again. Not as it did before but Laura had to admit there was something about this woman that intrigued her.

“Okay, good point,” conceded Laura “So what do you know about her?” Laura was not very good at being subtle and it showed when Laf’s smile grew as she said teasingly, “Why? Does someone have a crush?”

Laura’s face turned bright red and she cursed her inability to hide her intentions as she replied, “No!” much too quickly and a tad too loud. The grins on her friend’s faces grew to impossible sizes.

Kirsch leaned in and quietly sang “Little nerd hottie has a cruuuuush!” Laura elbowed him in his side which shut him up with a hushed “ooph!”

“Come on guys we haven’t even said one word to each other, how could I have a crush on her?” Laura tried reasoning.

“Now that you mention it, I think she might have a thing for you,” Kirsch teased. “When we were behind the bar she kept looking at you.”

“Oh come on Kirsch, she was looking at Elsie obviously! Did you see the way they were looking at each other?” Laura countered.

“Well Kirsch would know,” Laf pointed out, “the only thing he was looking at during training was Carmilla. Too bad she doesn’t seem to swing that way.”

That started whispered bickering between Laf and Kirsch who Laura was stuck in the middle of. She took the chance to quickly glance down the table at the brunette. Oddly enough Carmilla was no longer making flirty eyes at Elsie but was instead openly glaring at Perry who was sitting at the other end of the table. Perry seemed to be glaring back.

_What the heck?_

At that moment there was a knock on the back door. Everyone turned to watch as Laf stood up and walked over to the door, opening it to a tall woman with hair red as a flame. Laura gulped at how beautiful this woman was. She was in a red bathing suit that hugged every one of her curves in the best way. She had on red shorts over the suit that had a white cross on the chest.

“Hello,” the woman said a bit shyly, “I’m sorry to bother you but we are training out here on the beach and it is really hot and we used all of our water. My sister Perry works here and I was wondering if we could just fill our cooler really quickly in your sink?”

“Of course,” said Laf as they backed up, opening the door to let her in.

“Oh Danny! Hi! How is training going?” Perry stood up and made her way over to the girl.

“Great! How about you?” Danny smiled down at her sister, being as she was about a foot taller.

“Perr, can you take her back to get some ice and fill up in the sink?” Lafontaine asked.

Perry just nodded and turned to her sister, chatting with her as she led her into the kitchen. Conversations began again as the girls disappeared into the back and Lafontaine returned to her seat.

“Okay everyone! Let’s clean this up and get back to training!”

-Carmilla-

_Fantastic._

Not only did she have a little blonde ball of energy taking up all of her attention but also two red headed angels to deal with. Why did this have to be her first mission back on Earth? Carmilla was walking out of The Fresh Start after a long day of training and slipped her sunglasses on before the sun could blind her. She stepped out of the gate that separated the patio of The Fresh and the boardwalk, moving aside as the rest of the people flowed out and left. Carmilla spotted Will on the beach and stuck her pinky fingers in her mouth whistling to get his attention. He stopped talking to another cute lifeguard who looked like she was already in love with him and waved. Turning back to the girl, he smiled and said something before jogging over to Carmilla with an irritating smile on his face.

“Hey Kitty, how was your first day?” Will asked sarcastically. “Steal every man and woman’s heart in the place? Or just that one?”

He nodded behind Carmilla who turned and saw Elsie staring at her. When she saw that she was caught, Elsie made a ‘call me’ motion before getting in her car and driving away.

“Ugh shut up Will” Carmilla sneered, annoyed at just his presence, “Come on. And you had better put towels down on your seat or your sweaty ass is walking home.”

“Someone is grumpy,” Will pouted jokingly, “but seriously, have you heard anything from mother?”

“Yes, because she walked into the restaurant and pulled me aside after us being here only two weeks. She said she forgot to wish you luck.” Carmilla rolled her eyes at him.

  _What an idiot_.

“Damn Kitty, no need to be fresh. Just trying to learn from you like I’m supposed to be,” Will shot back. “If I remember correctly mother told you that you were supposed to be teaching me.”

Carmilla reached the car and got into the driver’s seat.

“You’re right,” she shot back.

Will tried to open the door but it was locked. He looked at her through the window as she smiled “And this is me teaching you to not talk back to me. Have fun walking home.”

Carmilla backed out of her parking spot and peeled away.

_Fuck. Why do I have to deal with all of this?_

It was her first time back and already she had a baby demon to babysit, two annoying angels who knew who she was, an idiot who she was supposed to be bartending with all summer, and a blonde who she couldn’t keep her mind off of. Dammit. She had even tried flirting with that Elsie girl whose lust she almost choked on when she walked in, but she couldn’t stop looking at Laura out of the corner of her eye.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

No. She would not do this again. She refused to repeat what happened last time. She would not let this Laura girl get to her. Carmilla needed to relax. She made a very illegal U-turn and sped back to the beach. Pulling back into the same spot she had recently vacated, Carmilla turned the Jeep off and got out. She looked around and smiled noticing the tiny face that belonged to Laura peering at her from the window of The Fresh. Carmilla laughed to herself as she began making a show of slowly peeling off her shirt and pants. She could practically taste the shock and simultaneous desire emanating from the tiny blonde as she stood beside her car and gave a small stretch for good measure. Oh she was going to have a lot of fun with this girl.

-Laura-

_Oh. My. God._

Her mouth dropped open as soon as she understood what Carmilla was doing.

Laura was currently looking out the bathroom window in The Fresh. She, Kirsch, and Laf had stayed behind after training because they were going to change and go to the beach together to hang out. Laura had just finished putting on her one piece bathing suit and shorts when she had glanced out the window and saw Carmilla get out of her car. So of course she ducked and continued spying on the ridiculously gorgeous woman. The first thing Carmilla did was strip.

Laura’s jaw was practically on the floor before she realized Carmilla had a bathing suit on under her clothes. This of course did nothing to change the fact that Laura was completely turned on by this woman. She had a body that would make a blind woman jealous, and she moved like she knew it.

Laura couldn't understand what Carmilla was doing in the small town of Silas bar tending instead of working a runway because she should have been a model. Her hair waved in the soft breeze coming off of the ocean. The sun kissed the skin of her shoulders and face as Carmilla took a bottle of sunscreen out of her car and squirted some in her hand. Dear God, Laura didn't know how much more of this she could take.

Carmilla rubbed her hands together and put her foot up on one of her tires as she rubbed her sunscreen soaked hands up and down her perfectly shaped legs. She got more sunscreen and applied it to her amazingly muscled arms, and Laura had to stop herself from wondering just what those hands could do. Finally, the brunette applied the white cream to her torso and Laura almost fainted at the abs on this woman.

Laura gave herself a mental shake before she had a heart attack. She should not be watching this. Laura turned around and made sure she was all ready before leaving the bathroom and running into Lafontaine who was putting on their sunscreen. Laura helped herself to some before calling, "Hey Kirsch, are you ready?"

"Heck yeah little nerd hottie! Let's go out and soak up the sun!" Kirsch exclaimed running out the door with his beach towel flowing behind him.

"Do you think he will ever grow up?" Laura asked Lafontaine.

"I hope not because he has the right idea!" Laf replied as they ran out the door after Kirsch.

Laura took a moment to breath. Okay, she was going onto the beach. Carmilla in a bathing suit will be on the same beach. _Keep your cool Hollis_ she thought to herself as she stepped out into the sunlight. Her eyes found Carmilla and she gulped.

The brunette was already out on the sand, laid out on a towel with her sunglasses on reading a book. As Laura looked on, a very good looking guy in a red bathing suit, probably another of the lifeguards who had finished with their training for the day, walked up to Carmilla and started talking to her. The brunette barely looked up and Laura could tell she was already irked at the guy. She considered going over to help but when she saw Carmilla give the guy the middle finger he walked away laughing.

Laura just shrugged and headed out onto the beach to where Kirsch and Laf had thrown their towels in a pile during their mad dash to the water.

She looked up in time to see Kirsch reach the water first and stop short, giving a yelp "Oh my God, it's so cold!"

Lafontaine, close on his heels, smiled wickedly as they used their momentum to run into Kirsch. He was knocked completely off balance and flew straight into an oncoming wave.

Laura watched as he disappeared under the water and came up sputtering, "Dude! Not cool it is freezing!"

Laf just laughed and dodged the splash aimed at them from the soaked Kirsch. A water war ensued until Lafontaine was just as wet as Kirsch and they began wrestling in the water. Laf may have been much smaller but they certainly knew how to take on the giant who they had been friends with forever.

Jogging over to the water, Laura stuck her toes into the edge of a receding wave. Sweet Jesus it was cold! Even though Laura had lived at the beach her entire life, she was still amazed how the air could be so hot and the ocean water could feel like it should be frozen solid. But she knew it was better to get it over with instead of slowly making her way in. So after a moment Laura took a step back and jumped on the two wresting in the water before promptly sliding off of Kirsch’s back and right into the icy waves. Her head popped up as the initial shock of the water wore off.

Laura had enough time to take a deep breath before Lafontaine jumped on top of her, pushing her under the water again. As Laura started winning their little match she felt both her and Lafontaine’s bodies being lifted by two strong arms before being thrown into an oncoming wave. When they both resurfaced Kirsch was grinning like an idiot, which quickly turned into surprise as both turned and jumped on him. The three were too busy in their dog pile to see Danny coming their way.

“Hey! Guys break it up!” she called to them.

The group stopped their wrestling and looked at the tall redhead. They all appeared guilty at being caught by a lifeguard, albeit one who wasn’t on duty yet.

“Sorry sexy lady.” Kirsch said sheepishly.

“Yeah sorry about that Danny,” Laura said with a small smile, “it won’t happen again I promise.”

Danny was obviously trying to keep a stern face but couldn’t hold it because of the pout directed at her from Laura.

“Okay well I will hold you to that. Tourist season is starting this weekend and if people see you three doing that, they will think it is alright for them to do it when it is actually dangerous.” Danny lectured.

“No you are right,” Laf replied, “I apologize for our antics.”

“Good, well then have fun but be safe.” Danny said as she turned around.

As soon as her back was to them, Laf’s arm shot out and shoved Kirsch into an oncoming wave. Hearing the splash, Danny swiveled in her spot. Laura could see Lafontaine giving Danny an innocent smile as Laura laughed at Kirsch sputtering in the water. Man she loved summer.

-Carmilla-

Carmilla gazed over the top of the book at the two loons wrestling in the surf as she pretended to read. Her heart fluttered as she saw Laura step up to the water and lower her toes into the tip of a receding wave. Carmilla almost laughed out loud as the little blonde backed up and jumped onto the big oaf’s back, only to slide right off into the water.

 _What am I doing?_ Carmilla mentally shook herself. _I am a demon and I am here to create some chaos, not fawn over a tiny little dork playing with her friends._

But she stopped herself and recalled how when she was putting on her little show for Laura in the parking lot, the lust she felt coming from her suddenly stopped. It had been replaced by a surprisingly steely resolve from such a small girl and Carmilla didn’t know what to make of it. After Laura had walked away, (something that no one had ever done when Carmilla had been trying to rile them up) she had stopped her little tease despite the fact that she could sense others watching who were clearly interested. What was it about her that made Carmilla so dumbstruck?

No. She would not let this happen. Not again. This was her first time back to Earth since Elle and she would not make the same mistake again. She would not do to Laura what she had done to Elle. She had to distance herself emotionally from the tiny blonde and treat her like the rest of these humans.

Carmilla glanced at the trio. They were no longer wrestling in the surf but instead on their hands and knees in the sand at the edge of the water. The demon watched as her new boss seemed to find some poor specimen and held it in their hands, studying it. They said something to their friends as a devious smile spread across their face, Carmilla couldn’t hear the words over the crash of the waves.

She did however see a look of shock mirrored on both Laura and Kirsch’s faces before the little blonde exclaimed something that sounded like “No! What did we say about dissecting things in public?”

She hid her smile before catching herself and shaking the thoughts away with a new resolve, Carmilla got up and folded her beach towel. She had a job to do and she would do it, but she would do it as far away from Laura as she could. She could not concentrate around this girl so she would remove herself from her presence, simple as that. At least that is what Carmilla convinced herself was her reasoning.  

-Laura-

Over the next few days of training, Laura could feel Carmilla studying her but whenever she looked, the broody bartender had already looked away. What was her deal? By Friday, training was complete and the staff was ready for the big opening the next day. It was Memorial Day weekend, the official start to tourist season at the shore. It was always packed with people who would drive from all over to start off the beach season right. It was when the beaches ‘officially’ opened, meaning lifeguards were on duty from 8 AM until 6 PM, and money would begin flowing into the local economy.

As everyone was about to leave The Fresh to enjoy their last few hours of freedom before the restaurant grew busy, Lafontaine stopped them.

“Okay everyone, you are now officially Fresh staff! I expect you to treat one another like family not only when you are here but outside of work as well. I am excited for the summer and for this weekend,” Lafontaine told the staff, “I want to remind everyone that we will be hosting the Memorial Day Beach Bash on Monday. For those of you who are new here, it is a party out here on the beach. We will be catering as well as setting up a bar down on the beach to serve the guests. I will need everyone to stay a little later on Sunday night to help set up the bar and move some tables. It is very laid back and you can wear whatever you would like but you will need to wear your name tag while working the party. If you have any questions feel free to ask me or any of the returning staff. I also want it to be made known that due to the recent robberies in the area, only my parents and myself will have the key to the cash drawers. Bartenders will still have access to their drawer but only during a sale, otherwise if you need change just ask one of us to make change in the back. Alright, that’s all for now! I will see everyone bright and early tomorrow morning at 9 to set up! Those of you who are needed here at 8:30 know who you are.”

With that, the staff made their way out the door. Laura had barely uttered two sentences to Carmilla during their week of training but she had definitely noticed her. She had also noticed Carmilla seemed to be avoiding her.

“Hey Laura, are we still hanging out?” Kirsch called after the blonde who was racing out the door.

“Of course Kirsch! I will meet you at my house okay? I just have to do something really quickly.”

Laura was out the door and down the ramp. She skidded to a stop beside Carmilla who was already in her jeep about to start the engine.

“Hey!” Laura squeaked, turning immediately red before clearing her throat and trying again, “Hey.”

“Hello there cutie,” Carmilla purred with her perfect eyebrow raised in curiosity, “What can I do you for?”

“Uh, well um, you see,” Laura stuttered, “I mean I know you are new here and stuff and I was wondering maybe if you want me to maybe show you around a bit? There is a lot of cool stuff to do but there are some amazing things and places only the locals really know about and I don’t know maybe if you have some free time I could show you or something. I mean if you want to. If you don’t want to that’s perfectly fine too…”

“Cutie!” Carmilla interrupted with an amused grin on her face, “I think I might like that very much.”

“Oh.” Laura hadn’t been expecting that response, so she just stood there for a moment.

“Are you ready to go?” came the voice of Elsie from behind her.

Laura turned another shade of red from embarrassment as Elsie climbed into the passenger seat beside Carmilla and gave Laura a challenging look as she put her arm around the beautiful bartender. As soon as the blonde’s arm touched Carmilla, she jumped at the contact before an expression of aggravation came over her features. She shrugged Elsie’s arm off and started the engine.

“See you tomorrow at work Creampuff,” Carmilla said as she put her jeep in reverse and backed out of the parking spot.

Laura stood there for about a minute after the jeep had sped off, double and triple checking that she had heard correctly. Carmilla had agreed to Laura showing her around, but then Elsie had come up and put her arm around the mysterious girl. What was going on there? And what did that mean about Carmilla agreeing to Laura showing her around?

Laura groaned inwardly, _Worst. Crush. Ever._

-Carmilla-

After a few blocks, Carmilla made a quick left turn.

“Where are we going?” asked Elsie curiously, “You’re house is that way.”

“Yes but your house is this way,” came Carmilla’s short reply.

“But I thought…”

“Yeah well you thought wrong,” Carmilla retorted as she made a few more turns and stopped her jeep in front of Elsie’s home, “I don’t know what you think THIS is, but we aren’t together. Don’t try to drape yourself over me to warn people off. We aren’t a couple.”

“I’m sorry, I just didn’t…”

“Don’t,” Carmilla said harshly, “I just want to be alone. I will see you tomorrow.”

Elsie’s look of hurt turned into one of anger as she got out of the jeep and walked up to her house. As soon as the blonde was out of the way, Carmilla sped off.

 _What the hell was that?_ _Did I just say yes to Laura showing me around? Why did I agree to that? Why the hell did I get so mad at Elsie for trying to intimidate Laura? What is wrong with me?_

Carmilla drove around for a couple of hours trying to get her head around what was happening. When the sun began to set, Carmilla pulled into the driveway of the small house where she and William lived. Sensing exactly what Will was doing, or who, Carmilla parked her car and headed straight for her room. There was no way she was staying here while that was going on, all of the emotions were already giving her a headache. Carmilla dropped her keys on her bed, followed by her clothes as she quickly stripped them off. She walked over to her window and opened it before backing up a few steps.

Carmilla took a deep breath as she felt her bones begin to slowly move. She sunk to all fours as her joints rearranged themselves and black fur began to emerge from her skin. Carmilla’s nails grew as her fingers receded, forming paws. The process hurt but it was nothing compared to what Carmilla had already experienced. Within the span of maybe two seconds, a small black cat stood where the demon had just been.

Carmilla stretched, feeling every muscle in her small feline body move at her command, her butt wiggling in the air as her tail swayed. As bad as it was being cooped up in that human form, she had to admit it helped being able to shift into another form once in a while. Just a perk of being one of the higher ranking demons in hell. The human form must be killing Will because he was lower in the hierarchy and unable to shift into an animal form.

Carmilla wasted no time in jumping up and out of her window, feeling the cool grass against her paws as she made her way the few blocks to The Fresh. The building and boardwalk were dark, all of the late night attractions opening tomorrow night. If anyone had been watching, they would have seen a beautiful black cat walking up and sniffing around the bike rack. They might have found it curious when the feline seemed to pick up a scent then follow it the way a bloodhound would, with its nose to the ground and a concentrated look on its face. However no one was around to witness this oddly behaving creature, much to the feline’s luck.

Carmilla was glad that Laura lived only three blocks away from the restaurant, it made her life that much easier. The girl’s scent was very distinct, especially to Carmilla’s very heightened senses. She smelled like a mix of sunshine and happiness, of laughter and dorky glee, but there was a sliver of hurt that laced through the scent as well. Everything about this girl intrigued Carmilla. She was without a doubt the happiest person that the demon had ever met in her innumerable years, but she got the sense that there were times when it was forced. If Carmilla wasn’t able to sense emotions, she would be just as convinced as everyone else that Laura was always happy; the girl was a fantastic actress.

Carmilla took in the house and pinpointed what had to be Laura’s room on the second floor. Making quick work of climbing the tree outside of the illuminated window, Carmilla peered inside to see Laura sitting on her bed beside the ginger giant. _Well I wasn’t expecting that_ the demon thought as she took in the scene. Laura and the angel were sitting on the bed joking about something that Carmilla couldn’t quite hear, so she inched forward until she was pretty close to the barely open window.

“Oh come on, she isn’t that bad!” Laura giggled.

“You don’t live with her,” came Danny’s reply, “she has a label maker and uses it. Every drawer and cabinet in the house has a label.”

“Perry can’t be that bad. But it was pretty funny when Carmilla mixed up some of the bottles on the back bar on purpose so we could see how long it took Perry to notice. I swear she didn’t even see the bottles, she just came out of the kitchen not even a minute later and switched them back. It’s like she just knew something wasn’t in its proper order.”

At the mention of her name, Carmilla saw the redhead tense up a bit.

“Laura, you should probably steer clear of Carmilla.” Danny said slowly, unsure of how Laura would react to her warning.

“What?” Laura looked like she wasn’t sure she had heard Danny correctly, “Why would I do that?”

“I knew her a while ago,” started Danny, choosing her words carefully, “she is trouble, for herself and those around her. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Laura stared at Danny incredulously before standing up and walking around her room.

“Are you serious?” the blonde began but paused, unable to find what she wanted to say, “I don’t know her very well but she isn’t trouble. I can’t explain it but I just know. She is a good person though, and I’m surprised you would say something like that, especially after you told me everything that you did about your past. You aren’t the same person who did those things and I can just tell she isn’t the same person either.” Laura’s voice softened as she looked out the window, “Everyone makes mistakes, but what we have done isn’t who we are.”

Carmilla could barely breathe.

_Did she just stand up for me? She doesn’t even know me._

No one had ever stood up for her, had never defended her against what others had said. There was a lump in Carmilla’s throat; she didn’t know how to react to this.

Before she could puzzle out what she was feeling, Laura’s eyes grew wide as she spotted the cat on the branch.

“Oh look! It’s a kitty!” Laura cooed, forgetting her upstanding speech from the moment before.

Danny stood up and walked to the window, peering out into the darkness. Carmilla knew she was caught when the angel’s eyes widened upon seeing her feline form.

“ _Well crap,_ ” Carmilla thought as she jumped off of the branch and ran off. Of course Danny would be friends with Laura. “ _Nothing can be easy for me, can it?_ ”

Carmilla made her way slowly back to her house and through the window, returning to her human form. She pulled on some boxer shorts and a tank top before laying out on her bed. No matter what she did, Carmilla could not stop thinking about what Laura had said. The girl had voiced maybe ten words to her, yet she had stood up for her to one of her friends. The little blonde had defended her when Carmilla wasn’t even there to witness it (well, that she knew of anyway).

For the hundredth time since the week began, the demon found herself wondering who this girl was, and why the hell she made her eternally damned soul feel its first ray of hope in centuries. This, more than anything, is what scared Carmilla the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you notice I have made a mistake in any part of my fic or something doesn't make sense, please let me know and I will either fix it or explain it as best as I can. Thank you so very much.  
> **Follow me on tumblr, my inbox is always open! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/butiwilllove


	2. Memorial Day Weekend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Carmilla realizes it won't be easy to stay away from Laura.

-Carmilla-

Sunlight streamed into her eyes through the window, pulling her softly from the throes of sleep. She could hear the bustle of people outside and the cries of seagulls. Keeping her eyes closed, Carmilla took a deep breath and stretched, feeling the effects of being out of her human form for a while. She felt fantastic as though she had gone outside after having been cooped up in her house for a week. Being ‘human’ for an extended period of time got cramped. Yes it was basically her natural form but she had her wings tucked inside of her back which could get uncomfortable. Changing into her feline form was the second best relief of that ache right next to letting her wings out and stretching them. For many reasons though, that couldn’t happen just anywhere. Her wings were somewhat large and humans usually didn’t have quite the same kind of ‘wingspan’ that she did.

The sound of heavy footsteps came from the hall and Carmilla groaned as she felt Will’s perkiness coming her way. Her door burst open and in came the excited little demon dressed in his guarding bathing suit and a red shirt with a pair of sunglasses sitting on his head.

“Wake up! Wake up!” Will sang as he practically danced around the room, “It is the unofficial first day of summer!”

Carmilla took a deep breath as she contemplated just how many things she could do to him before he could scream. Pushing that increasingly tempting line of thought aside, she sat herself up so she was sitting on the edge of her bed.

“William,” she began in a dangerous tone, “if you value your tongue you will stop everything you are doing right now.”

The oddly bubbly baby demon stopped hopping around the room but continued in a happy voice, “Come on it's time to get up! You will be late for work if you don’t get up!”

Carmilla counted to five before replying, “Okay listen up. Sit down because we need to have a talk.”

Will sat down in the desk chair across from Carmilla and leaned back, noting her serious tone and giving his full attention.

“Right, so we have been here about a month now,” she began, “and I need your update on what exactly you have gotten done so I can pass it on.”

“Okay, well let’s see,” the boy thought out loud, “There was the fire on campus during finals week. Um, we took that guy for a few days and had everyone looking for him. Plus I have slept with four of the girls who I was training with and now all of them are at each other’s throats. But the head lifeguard, Danny? She is like all over them and she is always watching me so it’s hard to get much done while I’m working. Oh! I’m also working on this one big guy, the one you work with? We have been hanging out and he is going to introduce me to some of his friends so I can do something there too.”

“Good,” Carmilla commented, “That’s a good start. And as for Danny? She is an angel, so be careful. I get to deal with her shorter and more anal friend in the restaurant.”

"An angel?" Will's eyebrows went up, "How do you know?"

"Besides the fact that I have been so unlucky as to know her in the past?" the brunette asked, "Her aura, you really need to pay attention to that. I know all this is new to you but you have to watch the auras of other people every second. Angels have a sickly sweet aura, as if just being near them makes you want to help someone." The young demon made a mock face of disgust, sticking his tongue out and pretending to retch. Carmilla smirked and continued, "You will see what I mean later when you see her. 

 “What else can I do though?” he asked with a genuine look on his face, “Like what have you been doing? And what exactly is our goal here? Maybe we could work together on a few things?”

Carmilla glanced at her clock to see how much time she had before answering. “Okay, I guess I owe you that much since I’ve been neglecting your studies since we got here.”

She stood up and stretched as she looked in her drawers and closet for clothes to wear to work.

“First of all our mission here is simple,” she stated as she started undressing, “we are simply supposed to create some chaos, shake this town up and make some problems.” She continued talking as she stripped off the last of her clothes and stood naked in front of Will, “Think of yin-yang, the balance of darkness and light. That is how the universe is held together, with that give and take. The way our bodies exert enough pressure to counteract the pressure imposed on us from gravity or how the night and day both are needed to sustain life,” Carmilla began dressing more as an afterthought as she continued, “So we are creating some chaos and upsetting that balance. Once we tip the scales in our favor enough, well then Mother will do whatever she has been planning and we will get our new orders then.”

Will nodded in understanding as Carmilla finished dressing.

“Come on it’s time for work,” she said over her shoulder as she walked out of the room and past the counter where she grabbed her keys and headed to the jeep.

Will followed eagerly behind her and jumped into the shotgun seat, “Okay cool. So we just need to stir up some trouble? That seems pretty easy.”

She gave the young demon a crooked grin, “You might be surprised how hard it can be especially with two angels running around cleaning up whatever messes you happen to make.”

They were silent for the rest of the short ride to The Fresh. Carmilla parked her car and Will jumped out, eager to get on the beach and to work. She shook her head at the eagerness Will seemed to have knowing it would fade sooner rather than later. Carmilla was making her way up the ramp and towards the back door and groaned as she felt the angelic presence and definite intent. Danny was waiting by the gate separating the patio of The Fresh and the boardwalk. “It is way too early for this” Carmilla thought to herself before trying unsuccessfully to walk around the angel.

“Good morning” the redhead greeted the demon with too much pep.

_Why is everyone here such morning people?_

“Xena” Carmilla acknowledged.

“Why were you outside Laura’s window last night?” Danny inquired.

_Always right to the point._

“Why whatever do you mean?” she feigned innocence.

“Cut the crap Carmilla I’m not new anymore,” the angel replied with little patience.

“Good to know you haven’t gotten yourself killed recently,” Carmilla spat back quickly, still trying to find a way around the angel who was unfortunately blocking the gate.

“Oh come on you are gone not even one hundred and fifty years and you act like it's been a millennia,” the lifeguard countered, “but seriously why were you watching Laura last night?”

“You ask me that like you expect me to actually give you an answer halo head.” Carmilla said incredulously.

Danny looked taken aback by the demon’s words as she stuttered, “Well I mean I thought we were…”

“Thought we were what?” Carmilla sneered, “Friends? Buddies? Well you thought wrong.”

The angel’s eyes narrowed in disbelief, “What happened to you?”

Carmilla’s laugh was cold as she looked the woman in the eye and said, “You have no idea what I have gone through since Styria, not a fucking clue. Whoever you thought I was back then? That person is gone, didn’t even exist to begin with. So just fly back to your little friend and leave me the fuck alone.”

Carmilla jumped over the small fence and made her way to the door, leaving a shocked Danny in her wake. _What a fucking joke_ she thought to herself as she opened the door and walked into a bustle as everyone was setting up and preparing for opening day.

_Who the fuck does Clifford think she is? She needs to back the fuck up before we have a repeat of last time._

Carmilla made her way behind the bar and after seeing Kirsch cutting up fruit, began slicing limes with fervor.

“Hey there Carm sexy, what did those limes ever do to you?” the other bartender joked.

“Honestly beef cake, unless you want to lose an appendage I suggest you leave me alone right now” she snapped at him.

“Damn dude, sorry.” Kirsch replied in a hurt tone.

Carmilla didn’t have time to worry about hurting the big puppy’s feelings, but she did need to calm down. If she didn’t stop she was sure she would end up splitting the cutting board with the knife she was using.

The demon took a deep breath and just observed. The servers were laughing at a joke as they rolled silverware. Kirsch was pouting next to her and she could sense the cooks’ excitement as they prepared for the first day of the summer season. The radiant holy aura that belonged to Perry was determined as the culinary manager helped the cooks stay on track. Lafontaine and their parents were in the office having a discussion that oddly Carmilla couldn’t hear though she did pick up on the excited feeling emanating from the owners. The excitement she picked up from the tiny general manager was ridiculous but Carmilla guessed it was because it was their first day truly in charge. All of this became background noise as the bartender picked up the tiny ball of early morning energy that was Laura Hollis.

It was as though everything faded away and the only thing left was Laura. The demon couldn’t even see her yet but she sure felt her. The little server was getting off of her bicycle and locking it up before she started her way up the ramp. She was excited and bubbly but there was a sliver of something else, curiosity maybe? She heard Laura call a hello to Danny who was sitting on the guard stand and felt her walk through the patio. Carmilla’s eyes were glued to the door waiting for Laura to open it, which she did letting the early morning sunlight spill in. She was surprised to see the little blonde’s eyes find hers and hold her gaze unwaveringly.

Again it felt like the wind was knocked out of her the way it always did when she saw Laura. It was as though Laura was a drug and Carmilla was the junkie, always searching for a way to get her next fix. This girl was dangerous and she knew that, but staying away from her didn’t seem to be much of an option. Carmilla nearly jumped out of her skin as a hand passed in front of her face, interrupting her view of Laura.

“What the fuck?” she growled, directing a glare at the owner of the hand who was chuckling to himself.

“Dude you have been cutting that same lime for the past five minutes. Maybe you can move on to the next one?” Kirsch pointed to the lime Carmilla held in her hand that was sliced paper thin.

Embarrassed, she pushed the unusable lime slices into the garbage as she saw Laura walk over to the other servers and began helping them fold silverware. By the time Lafontaine came out of the office to open the doors, Kirsch had given up on Carmilla helping him prep. The demon didn’t even notice his annoyance because she couldn’t take her eyes off of the little ray of sunshine sitting at the table with the other servers.

 

-Laura-

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and Laura was having a nervous breakdown.

“What should I wear?” she groaned to herself as she combed through her closet yet again trying to come up with an outfit. “It absolutely should not be this hard.”

It was Memorial Day and she could not for the life of her figure out what to wear to work. They didn’t have to wear their usual uniforms tonight because they would be working the beach party. But now Laura didn’t know what to do because every outfit she had would most definitely not impress the beautiful woman who had taken up residence in her head. As if changing her outfit would get the bartender's attention, it’s not like she is exactly anyone’s idea of attractive. Laura pushed that thought out of her head as she grabbed two outfits she had laid on her bed and walked briskly to her father’s room.

“Hey dad which one do you like better? This one? Or this one?” she asked, holding up each outfit in turn.

“I thought you were going to work, not out on a hot date,” her dad mused as he took in the state his daughter had worked herself into.

“Come on dad, I want to look good for the party!” Laura whined.

“Okay, okay. Calm down bug,” Mr. Hollis laughed, “I would definitely go with that one.”

He gestured to the clothes in her right hand, a pair of beige capris and a white tank top with a plaid button down that had the sleeves permanently rolled up.

Laura gave him a curious look and he smiled “What? I want to make sure every boy there knows you are gay and not to bother since I can’t be there to keep them away myself.”

She rolled her eyes and turned her back to her dad’s laughter, not giving him the satisfaction of knowing that she was going to wear the outfit he chose simply because she didn’t have anything else.

“Have fun at work!” Laura called over her shoulder as she went to her room to change.

“Of course honey, don’t party too hard!”

By the time Laura had gotten off her bike and locked it, she had changed her mind at least ten times about her choice of wearing this outfit. She pinned her name tag to her shirt as she made her way up the ramp to the boardwalk. Laura had already helped prepare this morning for the party so she only had to arrive about a half hour before the bash began. She could see everyone finishing setting up on the beach, not just Fresh employees but lifeguards and other early arrivals. All doubts about her wardrobe choice, as well as any other coherent thoughts, flew right out of her head when she saw her favorite bartender.

Laura’s jaw dropped as she took in the sight of Carmilla. The brunette was helping set up the outside bar and was laughing at Kirsch who was obviously doing something stupid to impress her. She wore a light purple sarong tied around her waist which accentuated her shapely legs perfectly. Laura’s eyes slowly dragged their way up her body to the white tank top that hugged Carmilla’s torso in a way that should be illegal. As if sensing the direction her thoughts had gone, the bartender turned her gaze to Laura which revealed an orange and white hibiscus flower stuck in her hair. The stem of the flower was tucked behind her left ear, holding the strands in place. Laura forgot how to breathe as she lost herself in the bartender’s smiling brown eyes. A wink from those same eyes broke Laura out of her trance and she took what felt like her first breath in years.

_Come on Hollis, you got this._

She straightened her back and walked down the ramp to the beach and over to the makeshift bar they had set up that morning.

“Hey there nerd hottie!” Kirsch called to her, waving to Laura.

“Hey guys,” she greeted them as she reached the bar, “How is everything coming along?”

“Everything is set up here. Perry and Mr. and Mrs. Lafontaine are finishing up in the kitchen.” Carmilla replied as she went over the glassware and made sure they had everything they would need.

Laura had to take a deep breath before she could open her mouth and say, “Cool. Do you know where Laf is?”

The brunette nodded her head behind Laura. The girl turned and saw a pretty awesome sound stage set up with speakers and a DJ booth. Lafontaine was, of course, standing behind the booth with their laptop.

“Of course they are.” Laura commented, making her way towards the small stage.

When she reached the raised platform, the little blonde caught her boss’s attention before climbing up next to them.

“Hey Laf I just wanted to check in so you know that I am here and to see what you need me to do.”

“Sure thing,” they said as they closed whatever they were doing on the computer before Laura had a chance to see it, “It’s actually really simple and it’s going to be different than the way we did it the past years. One second let me get Kirsch over here so I only have to tell you two once.”

Lafontaine looked over to the bar and waved their hand in the air. Laura practically saw his ears perk up as he excused himself and bounded over to the stage, leaping onto it with the ease of someone so tall.

“Hey dudes, what’s up?”

“Ok so you two are in charge of the bar and food respectively,” Laf began, “Kirsch, you and Carmilla are obviously only worrying about the bar and making drinks. However this year we are doing the food buffet style so Laura, you will be in charge of the servers. Servers will be keeping an eye on the table and letting the kitchen know if we are running out of food and running more out here. But also you will be helping out Kirsch and Carmilla at the bar. If they run out of anything it’s your job to run and get them whatever they need. More cups, more bottles of alcohol, and so on. Are we clear so far?” When they saw their friends nodding they continued, “My mom and dad will be handling the entry fee. Anyone who has a neon yellow wrist band has paid for food. Anyone 21 and older will have a purple wrist band, this way the bartenders don’t have to keep checking ID’s all night. As for me? I will be providing everyone musical entertainment!” They waved their hand to bring attention to the sound stage. “I will be here all night and since this is a raised stage I can see you all. Also, here are walkie talkies. Kirsch you and Carmilla will share on behind the bar, Laura you will have one for the servers. I have one as well as my parents and Perry has one in the kitchen. Any questions? No? Okay go tell your teams and let’s get this party started!”

Laura and Kirsch both hopped down from the stage and made their way back to the bar where Carmilla it seemed had finished double checking everything and was leaning on the bar top, talking to that same guy who Laura had seen annoying the brunette on the beach a week ago. As they approached her eyes found Laura’s and the little blonde could feel her cheeks turning an embarrassing shade of red. The boy turned when he noticed the bartender’s eyes were no longer on him.

“Hey dude, what’s happening?” He greeted Kirsch with a handshake that turned into a very quick almost hug but ended up just slapping the other’s backs.

“Bro what’s up?” Kirsch laughed, “Why are you here so early man?”

“If I didn’t come with this one,” he hooked his thumb over his shoulder at Carmilla, “I would have had to walk and I just didn’t feel like it.”

“That’s cool. Hey did you stop by the stand for your wrist band?” Kirsch asked.

Laura tuned out the rest of their conversation.

_Who is this guy?_

She turned her attention from him to Carmilla. The brunette was staring at the blonde the way someone would look at a puzzle they cannot quite figure out. In an instant Laura’s cheeks were red again.

The bartender chuckled, “Something wrong creampuff?”

“No,” Laura denied a little too quickly, “I have to go talk to the servers before everyone starts showing up. Make sure Kirsch goes over everything with you too okay?”

She turned around and began walking away before she even got an answer.

_What the heck is wrong with me? Why can I barely say three words to her without losing it?_

She shook her head. No way was she going to let this woman get to her. She just needed to clear her out of her head so she could work tonight, then she would definitely have to figure out whatever these thoughts were. Yes, that was a great plan.

\-------------

This was a horrible plan.

It was almost 11 o’clock and the party was starting to wind down. Dinner and dessert had been served and the night had so far gone without a hitch, well when it came to work at least. It seemed like some cruel twist of fate that the bar was busier than usual and so while Elsie, Betty, and the rest dealt with the food, Laura had been designated the bar back for the night and ended up near Carmilla the entire time. It was as though all logical thought would run for the hills whenever Laura came within eyesight of the broody bartender.

Thankfully it was late and many of the people had left, so Laura as well as the servers and kitchen crew were pretty much just waiting until 11 when the party was officially over so they could begin the cleanup.

“Hey Laura, how has your night been?”

The blonde turned to see Danny standing behind her, smiling as always. Laura had seen Danny around the party but she had been working and had been unable to socialize with her friend.

“Hey Danny, everything has been alright I guess. No real problems thank God, just waiting about 5 more minutes so we can start tearing everything down.”

The red head looked at her watch before replying, “Cool. Hey I was about to head home but do you want me to stick around? Maybe walk you home when you get done?”

“Nah, that’s alright. My house is like right around the corner I will be fine.” Laura answered.

“Ok that’s fine. Just text me when you get home so I know you are safe alright?”

Laura rolled her eyes, “Yes mom”

As Danny walked away, Laf’s voice came over the radio, “Ok everyone, its 11 o’clock. Time to start tearing everything down.”

As Laura and the other servers began breaking down the tables, the few stragglers talking amongst themselves began to disperse. Laura knew she meant well and honestly asks people to do the same thing all the time, but something about the lifeguard made her feel like she was being overprotective. Not that there is anything wrong with that but Laura had only met her a few weeks ago. She had immediately liked the red head since they first started talking that afternoon after her, Kirsch, and Laf had been playing in the waves. Danny had caught her as she was unlocking her bike and asked Laura if she wanted to go grab a cup of coffee, which she had agreed to. They had become immediate friends but it just seemed like Danny was a bit too overbearing. After coffee she had invited her over to her house and the first thing she had told her was to stay away from Carmilla.

The blonde paused and glanced over at the mysterious woman who was cracking jokes with Kirsch as they were wiping down the bottles and placing them in crates to carry back inside. She was smiling as she worked, throwing a friendly jab at her coworker’s shoulder in jest before continuing to break the bar down. Her smile was radiant and Laura couldn’t have looked away if she had wanted to. But those eyes, her face was smiling but her eyes seemed so sad. What happened between her and Danny to warrant such a warning from her new friend?

Working together, the servers finished their jobs before the bartenders. Since they were technically done, they left to go home but Laura instead walked over to the bar and asked Kirsch and Carmilla if they needed any help. Kirsch had agreed thankfully though Carmilla seemed a bit hesitant and kept throwing glances at Laura but wouldn’t say a word to the girl. It was as though the brunette was having some kind of internal argument with herself and if her expression meant anything, it seemed she was losing said argument.

Laura sighed, they were just finishing their cleanup and nothing she had done to start up a conversation with Carmilla had worked.

Kirsch came out from the kitchen where Laf was helping Perry finish cleaning and said “Ok guys, boss says we are free to go.”

“Ugh, finally” groaned Carmilla as she all but ran for the door, scooping up her keys as she made a hasty exit.

Laura shared a look with Kirsch, “Was it something I said?”

“I don’t know little bro,” Kirsch shook his head, “She is a weird one.”

They both walked into the kitchen, letting Lafontaine know they were leaving. After about ten minutes of joking around, Kirsch and Laura finally made their way out of the restaurant.

“Is she always like that?” Laura tried not to sound too curious.

“Who, Carmilla? Not really,” Kirsch pressed a button on his keys and a soft click came from his old Ford F-150. “She used to be pretty to herself but she has opened up a bit recently, well to most people. I don’t know what it is but whenever you are around she acts kinda weird.”

“Weird? Weird how?”

Kirsch looked like he didn’t want to answer but a look from Laura kept him going, “I don’t know man, like she will be totally chill and then you walk in and she just changes. Like sometimes she will close up like she did tonight when you were helping us break the bar down.”

Laura winced at that, but her default smile was in place before Kirsch could notice.

“You alright?” he asked hesitantly.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s late though so I had better head home. See you tomorrow bright and early right?” Laura babbled, already feeling the tears choking her up.

“Hey Laura,” Kirsch began but the little blonde was already on her bike and riding away.

The last thing she wanted was Kirsch to see her cry over something so small as the bartender not liking her.

 _Why would she like me?_ Laura thought bitterly to herself, _What is there even to like about me? I’m not good looking, or funny, or smart. I’m annoying and if I were her, I wouldn’t like me either. It’s obvious now why she avoids me, I guess I will just help her out and stop bothering her._

The tears were coming hard now and Laura couldn’t stop them. She knew it was bad but if Laura was good at anything, it was bottling up her emotions until one little thing would break the floodgates. One little thing like this mysterious woman probably not even giving her a second thought when she was all Laura seemed to be able to think about lately.

If she weren’t preoccupied by trying to hold the tears back until she could reach the sanctuary of her house, Laura may have noticed the small form darting from shadow to shadow behind her. But as it was, the only thing on her mind was the hope that no one was seeing her cry.

 

-Carmilla-

Carmilla could feel every slicing bit of what Laura felt as they cleaned up the bar. The hurt emanating from the tiny girl almost choked her as she ran from the restaurant before she could change her mind. She was in her car, pulling out and speeding off, blinking tears from her eyes. There was absolutely no way this was coincidence.

A minute passed before Carmilla pulled her car to the side of the road and killed the engine. She was a mile away and could still feel the pain coming from Laura.

_GOD DAMMIT!_

She practically sobbed as she punched the shit out of her steering wheel. Not a good idea because now her hand was throbbing and the steering wheel was unphased.

_Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!_

Pain radiated from her hand but Carmilla barely registered it.

_“What the hell are you thinking? Absolutely nothing good can come from this situation.”_

_“But she is hurting so badly!”_

_“The way she is hurting now is nothing compared to what she will feel if Mother finds out.”_

_“But she won’t…”_

_“Yes, she will. Remember what happened last time?”_

Carmilla winced at the direction this argument with herself was going.

_“Of course I remember what happened…”_

_“Then why is this still being considered? It’s not like Mother was anything but perfectly clear in the last hundred plus years.”_

_“True.”_

Carmilla was used to having arguments with herself. Yes, many people would consider her crazy but she didn’t care. Without these conversations with herself, the pain would have broken her long ago.

A blast of fresh, innocent pain from Laura made the decision for her. Carmilla was up and out of her clothes in an instant. Thank God it was past midnight and no one was awake to see her. She could feel the transformation into her feline form blooming and the second it was complete, she was off. Carmilla bounded back towards the restaurant, where Laura’s emotions kept changing in rapid succession. That was not good. When emotions were flipping so quickly, it usually meant an emotional breakdown. Jesus, she knew the girl was good at hiding emotions but Carmilla didn’t realize just how bad she was at dealing with them.

She could see Laura talking to Kirsch outside the Fresh, the emotions coming off of the blonde were stifling. Carmilla could practically taste the tears Laura was holding back as she jumped on her bike and sped away from the bewildered Kirsch.

_Well shit._

Carmilla slowed down as she passed the human puppy climbing into his truck so as not to be seen, the sped up again once she was clear. The demon could feel the emotions boiling within the blonde as the first tears fell. Then came something that almost stopped Carmilla in her tracks. From within the cloud of hurt came a violent assault of self deprecation and self hatred the likes of which Carmilla had never seen. It was as though whatever pain Laura was feeling, she felt she deserved it and was just adding to the onslaught. And, of course, God chose that moment to start a downpour.

_Fantastic, my car doesn't have the cover or doors on. Can't wait to clean up that mess..._

Laura finally arrived home, almost throwing her bike against the side of the house as she scrambled to get inside to the safety of her room. Carmilla was up the tree and outside her window by the time Laura pulled herself into her room and shut the door before falling face first on her bed and sobbing.

It felt as though someone was pulling her heart out as the demon watched the other girl cry her eyes out, muffling the sobs into her pillow. Carmilla was completely lost. Here she was, a drenched cat outside of the window of the girl she couldn’t leave alone despite her many attempts to do so, watching as aforementioned girl broke down in her bed mere feet from her. It’s not like there was a manual for things like this. But Carmilla physically couldn’t sit here and do nothing, it felt as though something was pushing her towards the window. She could hardly believe she was about to do this, but honestly she didn’t have any better ideas.

So Carmilla, big scary demon feared throughout history, mustered up the most pathetic sound she could and meowed as she pawed at the window. Laura’s head shot up almost immediately as she looked around her room for the source of the noise. Her eyes were puffy and her nose was running, it was honestly pretty disgusting. But Carmilla once again let loose a pitiful meow and continued pawing at the window. Laura’s eyes went wide when she found the source of the noise, and Carmilla couldn’t blame her. When did cats ever scratch at the window of a strange house? It helped that it was down pouring and cats hated water, but still…

Laura scrambled up and opened her window, hesitating as she visibly tried to convince herself this was actually happening. Well, real cat or not, Carmilla was still drenched and had gone too far to back out now, so she hopped through the window and padded across the room until she jumped up on Laura’s (very comfortable) double bed. The girl’s face was hilarious as Carmilla blinked at her once and immediately began to groom herself. Laura was a hot mess but she snapped out of whatever daze she was in and closed the window before once again looking at the strange cat licking itself on her bed.

“Hey there kitty kitty” Laura crooned.

Carmilla wanted to laugh at her expression as Laura slowly walked over to her bed and extended her hand towards the cat. Carmilla did her best to give off the right amount of disinterest and curiosity as she smelled her outstretched hand.

Good, the blonde smelled like herself again, all curiosity and innocence. However she could still sense the dark cloud just behind those lighthearted emotions ready to break again at any moment.

_Dear God, if you care about this demon in any way, don’t let anyone find out about this. Ever._

Trying to continue to distract Laura, Carmilla lightly licked the back of the hand in front of her face, letting out a booming purr that startled the blonde before she burst into strangled laughter, tears barely held at bay. Still careful around the strange cat that had just invaded her room, Laura slowly moved her hand and gave Carmilla a soft pet from her head to her back. Grateful that her distraction was working, the demon purred harder and rubbed her head against Laura’s hand, inviting more petting.

Laura let out a mix between a laugh and a sigh as she sat next to the cat on her bed.

“I can’t believe this is actually happening” she whispered almost to herself.

Carmilla had had a long and tough day and as patient as she was, she wanted to get this done and get out of here quickly before anyone found out what she was doing.

Carmilla grabbed a hold of the emotions Laura was letting bleed into her aura and, ever so gently, twisted and molded them.

Demons were creatures that played off of human’s emotions; they could not only sense them, but manipulate them for their own needs.

Carmilla was internally apologizing as Laura’s head began to droop and her reservations about the strange cat in her bed grew smaller. When her head hit the pillow, Carmilla opened back up the storm cloud hidden behind the surprise and curiosity. Those emotions needed to be let out and she would rather it was when the wide eyed girl wasn’t alone. Carmilla felt Laura curl up and the tears begin to fall before she cuddled up close to the blonde and allowed her to have something to hold onto as all of the negative emotions she had pushed under the rug came out. The demon began purring as she rubbed her cheek against the distraught girl, comforting her and letting her know she wasn’t alone.

Carmilla continued like this until the blonde finally cried herself to sleep. Knowing she had done what she could, Carmilla gently took a hold of the sleeping girl’s emotions and twisted them so that when she woke up, Laura would think the cat at her window was a dream.

The feline slowly wiggled her way out of her grip before silently padding over to the window that was slightly ajar before pushing it up and jumping back out onto the wet branch. Thankfully it had stopped raining as the demon quickly retreated into the shadows and back to her car where she once again was in her human form. Dressing quietly, Carmilla drove back to her home and lay down in her bed, not bothering to change her clothes.

 _What the hell did I just do?_ she thought numbly.

Well it was obvious that it was futile to try and stay away from Laura, tonight made that very clear. Carmilla didn’t know if she wanted to be happy that she wouldn’t be actively trying to stay away from her or if she should cry because anytime she got involved, bad things happened. Okay, but this way she could be there to try and protect her.

Carmilla would learn from her past mistakes. There was no way she could keep the girl a secret, she had already involved Laura. She had to be there to protect her from what was coming next, and if that meant spending time with the girl then so be it.

The demon knew she was making excuses but she couldn’t seem to care. If she was caught again, there would be no third chance from Mother. Carmilla wasn’t scared of being caught, this time her punishment would be quick and final.

No, Carmilla was scared of what would happen to Laura now that she had been marked.

Any human that a demon touched was marked. Not touched as in physically, but whose emotions had been manipulated by a demon. It’s as though the demon leaves behind part of themselves on the human, making them stand out to other demons and worse. Carmilla knew it was her fault, she is the one who had done this to Laura. She knowingly manipulated her emotions, and she hated herself for it. But she hadn’t been able to watch Laura in that kind of pain without doing something. Now she had to face the consequences of her actions, and protect the girl from what she had brought upon her.

The demon was no stranger to the pain her mother could bring, but she would die making sure that Laura was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you notice I have made a mistake in any part of my fic or something doesn't make sense, please let me know and I will either fix it or explain it as best as I can. Thank you so very much.  
> **Follow me on tumblr, my inbox is always open! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/butiwilllove


	3. Was she just...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Carmilla gives up on trying to stay away from the tiny blonde dork...

-Laura-

Laura had to rub the nasty crust that had formed on her eyes after crying herself to sleep before she could even open her eyes. Once she had opened them she shut them immediately against the bright sunlight trickling through her window. She had to admit, last night had been horrible but Laura couldn’t remember a time she had woken up feeling so utterly refreshed. The blonde twisted her body, stretching every one of her muscles before relaxing again with a sigh.  That’s when she remembered the rest of the night.

_Wait was that a dream? It had to be… But it seemed so real._

Laura recalled the memory of the black cat so vividly it was as though she could still smell that wet animal on her sheets. And its eyes, they seemed so familiar. It felt as if the cat had known her.

That’s when Laura’s eyes flew open. The sunlight was most definitely too bright for 8 AM. Her hand flew to her phone on her dresser, flipping it open and letting out a defeated groan. It was almost 11 AM, her alarm hadn’t gone off.

“Poop!” Laura cried as she rolled out of her bed so quickly she didn’t have time to catch herself and ended up on her back on the floor. “Ow.”

She was on her feet in an instant, scrambling for her work clothes while simultaneously brushing her teeth and hopping on one foot as she tried to get her shoe on. Laura barely glanced in the mirror, running her fingers through her nest of hair and decided against that fight, throwing it up in a messy bun before bounding down the stairs and out the door right onto her bike.  She pedaled her little heart out and was outside the Fresh in less than two minutes, throwing her bike against the building pausing only long enough to make sure it didn’t fall before she was up the ramp.

Laura burst through the door, ready for the verbal beating she deserved from Laf for being so late. However all she got was a room full of curious looks from the rest of the staff and Lafontaine laughing at her expression.

“Hey, Laura! Glad to see you are feeling better!” they greeted her with a puzzled expression, “Kirsch said you weren’t feeling well, we weren’t expecting you to come in.”

Laura glanced over at Kirsch who shrugged as he gave her a smile.

“Yeah, no I am feeling better thanks,” Laura tried to cover up her flustered state, “sorry for not calling myself.”

“That’s cool, we are all set up just get your section ready,” they commented before turning around and heading into the office.

Laura made a beeline to Kirsch who whispered before she even got to him, “Sorry dude, you seemed upset last night and I didn’t want you to get in trouble for being late.”

“No Kirsch, thank you for that. I don’t know what happened my alarm didn’t go off. I really…” Laura trailed off as her eyes found Carmilla.

Carmilla, who always seemed so cold to her, was looking at her with mild interest before giving Laura a small smile.

_What in the world?_

Laura had to do a double take which caught Kirsch’s attention, causing him to turn to see what she was looking at. Yup, she hadn’t made it up. The brunette was still smiling at the blonde and even threw in a wink before returning to cutting up fruit.

Laura and Kirsch both turned to each other, her jaw hanging open and his eyebrows almost to his hairline.

“Did you just…” Laura stuttered at the same time that Kirsch started singing under his breath “Laura and Carmilla, sitting in a tree…”

He never made it past the second ‘S’ before Laura’s hand was over his mouth and pushing him out of the bar and into the side station.

“What the H-E-double hockey sticks was that?” Laura whispered loudly at him.

Her hand flew off of his mouth when he licked her palm with a childish grin “Looks like someone has a not so secret admirer.”

“Oh stop it,” the little blonde tried to swat his shoulder which just made him grin more because she could barely reach and ended up hitting his chest. “You are the one who told me just last night that whenever I came around she would close up and get mean.”

“Yeah, but dude you never let me finish. I said _sometimes_ she clams up. The rest of the time, when she thinks no one is looking, she can’t take her eyes off of you.” Kirsch gave her a knowing smile.

“Wait, really?” Laura peered around the wall through the side bar at the woman now just leaning on the bar having finished her prep work. “No way, I call shenanigans.”

“Nah dude, I’m dead serious,” he replied. Before he could continue, Lafontaine’s voice sounded through the restaurant informing them that the doors were opening.

Laura gave Kirsch a look and pointed her finger at him in the most intimidating fashion she could manage, “We are not done,” she warned him, walking out of the side station to the flood of hungry people flowing in from the beach.

After that, she really didn’t have much time to go through with her innocent idea of a threat since they were slammed all day. Laura could say honestly that she hated doubles, had she only been a lunch she would have been out of the Fresh by 5. However 5 o’clock came and went and before she knew it, the clock was saying 5 minutes to midnight and the bartenders were making last call. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, today had been crazy. Laura had been running all day long and was just grateful that she wasn’t actually closing.

She had made it out the door and was making her way down the ramp to where she usually left her bike, only she didn’t see it. Laura looked around before the realization hit her and she slumped against the building with her hand over her face.

_I was late this morning and didn’t lock my bike up. Oh God someone stole my bike. Dad is going to kill me._

“Something the matter cutie?” a voice broke through her internal rant made up of asking herself over and over just how stupid she could be.

Laura turned her disbelieving eyes to Carmilla who was coming down the ramp, car keys swinging around her index finger.

The blonde scrambled up off the building and began stuttering, “I, yeah, I mean sure. I just, I mean, my bike was stolen.”

Carmilla looked at her with her head slightly tilted, “Oh wow, that sucks.”

Laura didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the comment.

“Do you need a ride home?” the brunette asked which more than caught Laura off guard.

It was as though someone had flipped a switch on Carmilla’s attitude. All day Laura had noticed the bartender watching her and couldn’t help wondering if Kirsch was right before dismissing the thought. How could a woman as absolutely beautiful as Carmilla be interested in such a tiny, dorky little girl like her?

“No, that’s alright, I only live a few blocks away,” Laura sighed.

“Ok, I guess I will just walk with you then.”

The blonde was far from expecting that reaction from the bartender and without thinking replied, “No, you don’t have to. Really it’s only a few blocks, I’ll be fine.”

“Do you not trust me?” Carmilla asked, almost looking a little hurt.

Laura’s eyes widened dramatically as she verbally backpedaled, “No! No of course not. That’s not what I meant at all. I just meant that you don’t have to take your time and walk me home. You were at work long before me and you must be exhausted…”

“Then it’s settled, I am walking you home.” Carmilla gave Laura a look that made butterflies erupt in her stomach as the bartender walked out through the row of parked cars. Laura had no idea what the other woman’s intent was, but she wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.

Laura caught up with Carmilla as she turned and began walking down the street. They strolled together side by side for about a minute before Laura’s curiosity bubbled over.

“So why are you suddenly being so nice to me?” she inquired.

Carmilla’s answer was a soft chuckle, “Being so nice to you? Sunshine, you are an adorable girl walking home in the middle of the night. There is no way in hell that I am letting you go alone, who knows what kinds of people are staying around here.”

“Oh, okay. That makes sense I guess,” Laura considered aloud. They walked together for a few moments and the silence was driving the little blonde insane, so of course she said the first thing that came into her mind, “So I know this is really random and you don’t have to answer but I’m really curious. Who is that guy who was standing at the bar with you before the party started yesterday? I saw him like a week ago and he looked like he was bothering you while you were at the beach. Not that I was spying on you or anything I just happened to see. And it isn’t any of my business so you don’t have to answer it’s just…”

“Whoa, slow down there creampuff,” Carmilla laughed, “That is just my little brother, Will.”

“Brother?” she asked, “Oh right! I totally forgot you said you had a brother!”

“Yes, just my brother,” Carmilla laughed, “He is lifeguarding on the beach and I gave him a ride but I had to be there earlier than him so he was just killing time.”

_Okay so I guess she isn’t nearly as intimidating as I originally thought._

“So where did you two move from?” the blonde asked.

The brunette was silent for a few steps, gazing out into the darkness before replying with a little smirk, “We came here from Hell.”

Laura was definitely not expecting that answer. After a moment, she realized Carmilla was joking and she giggled, “Oh come on really. Where did you live before here?”

“I’m serious cutie. We lived in a town called Hell, California. Look it up.” The bartender challenged as they turned the corner onto Laura’s street.

“I would if I could,” Laura admitted embarrassed as she pulled out her old flip phone and held it up for Carmilla to see, “but this is my phone.” At her puzzled look that was quickly turning into a teasing smile, Laura inserted “My dad is really over protective and thinks if I had a smart phone I would send pictures to potential stalkers online or something.”

The blonde looked down out of embarrassment.

_Stupid, stupid Laura, she probably thinks you are immature and irresponsible for still being on your dad’s phone plan. THINK before you say something next time._

As she was bringing her hand down to return her phone to her pocket, Laura felt the phone lightly snatched from her grasp. Her eyes snapped up to see Carmilla with her phone flipped open, the corner of her mouth turned up in a smile as she typed out something in the blonde’s phone.

“Hey!” the tiny blonde cried as she reached for her phone and missed which prompted the other, slightly taller girl to raise the phone over her head just out of Laura’s reach.

“Calm down spaz,” she mused, “I’m just giving you my number. Unless, of course, you don’t want it.”

The brunette’s confidence appeared to falter; her face fell slightly before Laura could choke out “Oh! Oh God no, yes! I mean, yes of course I want it!”

_Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! What the hell is wrong with you? Keep your stinking cool!_

She cleared her throat trying to cover up her babbling, “I mean, yeah sure that’s cool.”

_Real smooth Hollis, you have just proven that you are a complete nut case._

Carmilla’s smile was back and her eyebrow was raised as she lowered her hand and went back to typing out her number into Laura’s phone. When she had finished she lightly closed the phone and handed it back to the girl who was currently dying of mortification.

“Thanks,” Laura managed to squeeze out, returning her phone to her pocket, “but uh, if I can ask, where did that come from?”

Carmilla’s eyebrows went up again and gave her a questioning look, “Me giving you my number?” Laura nodded and she continued, “If I remember correctly, you promised to show me around. Plus you are kinda cute, I would like to…” here the brunette’s eyes raked slowly up and down her body before continuing, “get to know you better.”

_Was that flirting? No, it couldn’t be. Not with me._

The girls had reached Laura’s house and had paused at the edge of her driveway. The world seemed to shrink to include only the two of them, time stopped as they both gazed into the eyes of the other. Laura tried to slow the redness she felt climbing up her neck and onto her cheeks. She absolutely hated how all of her emotions could be so easily read on her face.

The moment was broken when the headlights of a car illuminated the pair. They both moved aside as an old green Chevy Suburban pulled into the driveway. Its engine shut off and Laura’s dad emerged from the driver’s seat with a tired smile on his face.

“Hello honey, how was your day?” he asked with a strained grin.

“Long and hard as usual,” she smiled back, “working hard?”

His tired face lit up as he gave his daughter a hug and finished the joke for her, “Hardly working. Who is this?”

The brunette smiled and held out her hand which Laura’s dad shook, “Carmilla sir, I work with Laura.”

“Ah, Carmilla. I haven’t seen you before, are new in town?” he asked.

“Yes sir, my brother Will and I just moved here about a month ago,” she answered politely.

“Don’t get the wrong impression of our quaint little town. Things have been going a bit crazy lately but we are usually a pretty quiet place,” he joked before turning back to Laura, “Honey I am dead tired, lock up when you come in okay?”

“Sure thing dad” she said, her face turning red at the thought of being alone with Carmilla once more.

“Well it was nice meeting you Carmilla” he said, “And before I go, I need you to know that you seem like a nice kid, but I’m a paramedic and if you break my daughter’s heart I know upwards of fifty ways to make your death look like an accident.”

At the shocked look on both girl’s faces, he seemed to consider his parental job done as he turned around and headed inside, calling goodnight over his shoulder as Laura began stuttering.

“Oh God I am so sorry I didn’t think he would do that and he doesn’t mean it…”Laura began but was cut off.

“Cutie, it’s alright. He is just being a dad, nothing to apologize about.” Carmilla smiled at the borderline panic on the other girl’s face.

Laura was very glad that Carmilla would never know how much she wanted to kill her dad for embarrassing her like that.

“Well, I guess this is good night then” the brunette said slowly, unsure of what to do next.

“Yeah,” the blonde laughed awkwardly, “Thank you for walking me home.”

Both girls seemed to hesitate, but finally Laura stuck out her hand almost confidently. A smile blossomed on Carmilla’s face as she took her hand and shook it.

“Will I see you at work tomorrow?” the bartender asked.

“Actually no, I have the next two days off.”

“Oh, do you maybe want to hang out tomorrow after I get out?” Carmilla asked slowly.

“Yes!” the blonde exclaimed excitedly before once again taking a deep breath, “Yes, I would love to.”

“Perfect,” she said, slowly backing away as a shit eating grin blossomed on her face. “You don’t know this about me, but I absolutely love buying pretty girls drinks.”

At that, Carmilla winked and turned around, calling goodnight to the blonde whose jaw had just hit the ground. Laura’s mouth was still opening and closing like a fish when the brunette turned the corner out of sight.

_Was she just…? No, couldn’t be._

Laura turned and walked inside, locking the door and extinguishing the lights before making her way up to her room. She quickly changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth, trying to be quiet so as not to wake her dad. Plopping on her bed, she took a moment to take in what had just happened. The next second her phone was open and Laura was calling Lafontaine, impatiently waiting as the call rang.

She heard the tone stop and a sleepy Laf yawning before, “Laura, first of all how are you awake after the day we both worked? And secondly, if you can’t sleep, why do you have to drag me into it?”

“You are never going to believe what happened.”

They must have picked up on the increasing excitement in their friend’s voice because suddenly Laura heard them sit up as they took a serious interest in what she was saying.

“Go on,” they encouraged her with curiosity lacing their voice.

“Okay, well Carmilla may or may not have asked me out tomorrow after work. I mean I don’t know if it was meant like that. Maybe she just meant she wanted to hang out? I don’t know I need your help Laf you are so much better at this than me and…”

She could practically hear her friend’s ears perk up before their voice became somewhat serious and interrupted her tirade, “Laura, I need you to start at the beginning and miss absolutely no detail.”

The little blonde recounted everything that had happened since leaving work including her bike being stolen and Carmilla walking her home and then what her dad had said and ended breathlessly, “What does that even mean? She probably just meant as friends, there is absolutely no way Carmilla-freaking-Karnstein would be interested in me. Women as drool worthy as her never have interest in people like me, right?”

At this, Lafontaine interrupted her, “Laura, don’t even think that. You are an amazing person. You know how I feel about you putting yourself down like that.”

Laura mumbled uncomfortably as Laf continued, “And as absolutely ridiculous and untrue as the thought is, even IF it were true, you know what I always say. Just because things have always been one way doesn’t mean they always will be. Every so called absolute…”

“…in existence just hasn’t met the person who will prove it wrong,” Laura recited the familiar words, “I know, but this is different.”

“How is this different?”

“Because I absolutely know that there is no way someone as amazing as Carmilla would ever be interested in someone as boring as me.” Laura’s voice cracked slightly at the end but she was pretty sure her friend hadn’t noticed, or maybe she was just hoping that was the case.

“Laura,” they began, suddenly very serious, “Don’t go there, okay?”

“You’re right,” the blonde replied giving herself a mental shake, “okay. So regardless of if you are right and she has an ulterior motive or not, what am I even supposed to do tomorrow?”

“You do whatever you were going to do before she asked you to do something, then I will leave work early and come help you get ready. Do you know what the two of you are doing?”

Laura could cry, Lafontaine knew her so well and she was very grateful for her friend.

“I’m not sure,” Laura replied, realizing she really didn’t know, “but I had told her I would show her around. At the same time though she said she wanted to buy me a drink.”

“Show her around then buying you a drink,” Laf repeated, “Okay I have an idea. Why don’t you take her downtown and walk around then to the boardwalk when it gets dark? You can show her around the town like you said, then once the sun goes down you can play games or go to the arcades or ride the rides and say you are showing her the lights?”

“So let me get this straight,” the blonde began, “You believe she was asking me on a date, which I am sure she wasn’t because again, this is Carmilla. But you want me to take her on a tour of the town like I actually offered before. Then if she didn’t actually intend for this to be a date and therefor makes no move to make it into a date, you want me to bring her to the boardwalk at night, instantly giving it a date like quality?”

She was hoping she was wrong but Laura had been friends with Lafontaine much too long to know exactly what she meant.

“DING! DING! DING!” they sounded like a siren over the phone, “We have a winner!”

“Laf?”

“Yes Laura?”

“I hate you.”

“I love you too. See you tomorrow to get you ready for your hot date!” Laura could almost hear their smile over the phone and she was about to make a comeback but the line went dead.

She couldn’t even be mad because she knew her friend did it so she couldn’t verbally put herself down again, but just because she didn’t say it doesn’t mean she wasn’t thinking it.

Laura sighed as she turned her light off and settled into her pillows. She honestly was extremely excited and nervous about going out with Carmilla tomorrow. She really wished that Lafontaine was right and she had been flirting with Laura and asking her out on a date, but she wouldn’t let herself hope for it. Laura knew it was next to impossible that was the case and wouldn’t let herself feel hope for something that wouldn’t happen.

Laura knew it wouldn’t happen, she had been serious when she had said there was no way she was good enough for Carmilla to want her. Lafontaine was sweet but they were also one of Laura’s best friends and therefor was biased on the matter, but it was sweet of them to try.

_Girl the hell up Hollis! You can figure out intentions later, right now all that matters is the most attractive woman to ever grace this little town with her presence wants to hang out with you._

_Outside of work._

_Even if she isn’t interested in you like that, don’t you dare waste this chance. Keep your cool, you got this._

-Carmilla-

_Don’t look back. Just keep walking. Whatever you do, do not look back._

Honestly what was the matter with her? Camilla was currently walking away from tiny little Laura Hollis, the one thing that frightened the most frightening demon in all of history. What was it about this girl that knocked her so off her game? She should be able to go up and literally flirt the pants off of her, but instead Carmilla found herself feeling like a teenager with a serious crush.

She finally rounded the bend and out of Laura’s eyesight, taking a breath that she didn’t know she was holding. How was it that such a small girl could hold so much power over her without even trying? Without even noticing?

Carmilla slumped against the first tree she came upon, sliding slowly to the ground. She covered her face with her palms as if trying to wipe away whatever this was she was feeling.

 _“You know better than this,”_ she chided herself to no avail, “ _did you learn absolutely nothing last time?”_

 _“This isn’t last time though,”_ she argued, _“This is nothing like last time. Everything I felt at all last time is what I feel in a mere moment with her.”_

_“You are making excuses.”_

_“No I’m not. She is different.”_

_“Different? Is that really all you can come up with?”_

_“Shut up.”_

Carmilla was very glad no one could read her thoughts because she probably sounded like a psychiatrist’s wet dream. She stood up, dusting herself off before heading back to her car. Lost in thought, Carmilla pulled into her driveway and felt him already. Will’s emotions were annoyingly jittery as if he couldn’t sit still and she could sense him pacing in his room.

_“Fantastic, I forgot to take the puppy for a walk…”_

The engine was still running as Carmilla picked up her phone and called Will. Before he could even answer, she cut him off, “Get out to the car, we are going on a field trip.”

She sensed his curiosity as he hung up and made his way to the car. As soon as enough of his body was in the car, Carmilla whipped her car out of the driveway which made Will yell out in surprise as he grabbed for something to hold keep him from falling out. Without a word she sped towards the highway to take them more inland. Thanks to her built in radar detector, the topography turned from flat to hilly much more quickly than the actual speed limit would have allowed. Carmilla exited the highway after about an hour, winding her way through back roads and climbing tree covered hills. She could feel Will’s curiosity overflowing as he sat staring at the landscape, quiet since she snapped at his incessant questions earlier but still unable to keep still.

At this point, the pair was basically driving through an endless forest. The last house they had seen had been miles ago when Carmilla made a sharp turn onto a dirt road that would have been invisible to any human at this time of night. The ride was bumpy as the jeep swerved to avoid pot holes and branches as the road took them up a fairly steep incline. Finally, out of nowhere, the dense trees opened into a small clearing that ended abruptly about two hundred feet from where Carmilla finally parked the car. She killed the engine and grabbed the frame above her head, swinging out of the car in one smooth motion before turning back to look at her passenger who was still in his seat.

“Well? What are you waiting for?” she said impatiently, prompting the younger demon to jump from his seat.

“Sorry I just… where are we? And why are we here?”

“I have been seriously slacking with teaching you the ups and downs of being on earth, and I think a human could feel your agitation and restlessness. So that is why I brought you here, to stretch,” she turned, motioning to the edge of the cliff.

“What?” his face saying he thought she was insane, “what are you… oh.”

“Yeah, exactly,” she said with a mischievous grin as she crossed her arms and grabbed her shirt, pulling it over her head.

As soon as her shirt was off, it was flung to the side as Carmilla took off running towards the cliff’s edge. Two strides from the immediate drop off, her muscles bunched and she leapt, swan diving right into the open air. For a few seconds she let herself free fall, immersing herself in the feel of the air rushing past her face. She waited until the last moment before she finally relaxed the muscles in her back, freeing her enormous, jet black wings from their prison. As soon as they emerged, she clapped her arms and legs against her body and caught an updraft, effectively ending her nose dive. The demon stretched every muscle in her wings as she soared upwards, passing the edge of the cliff where Will had his shirt off and looked like he was constipated honestly. After so many thousands of years, releasing her wings wasn’t something she needed to even think about, but for new demons it took concentration.

Carmilla felt so free, the wind rushing past her face as she dove and twirled through the air. It was like a run on a beautiful day after a week of rain, being in her true form was the most amazing feeling. She turned to see Will had finally let his wings out and was flexing them before taking a few steps back and running right off the edge.

It was like a switch had been flipped, for Carmilla at least. They dove and somersaulted through the air like children, soaring this way and that. The night sky was clear with no clouds in sight. As they played, a cool wind picked up coming off the ocean making the leaves rustle and sway like waves on the sea. They darted in and out, winding their way around the mountain like squirrels running up a tree. The lights of the small town a couple miles from the base of the mountain were the only relief from the darkness from below as if mirroring the stars that twinkled above it.

\------------------

After a while of this, Carmilla finally signaled Will and both landed in the small clearing. Carmilla touched down softly as Will barreled past her, narrowly avoiding crashing into a tree. Her wings felt so much better after some exercise, she extended them before folding them up in a resting position on her back.

“Alright, it’s getting late and we need to get back. We both have work early,” when Will looked like he was about to complain she quickly added, “don’t even start. I’m here to teach you the ropes not to be your mom.”

Without waiting for his reply Carmilla turned, careful to keep her wings from smacking into anything. She reached her hand back to touch the soft raven feathers that covered her wings, feeling the scars that they hid so well. Refusing to let her mind go there, she stretched her neck to either side and rolled her shoulders before retracting her wings. Finally looking like a human again and feeling the most relaxed she had been in literally hundreds of years, Carmilla bent down and grabbed her shirt. She pulled it over her head and spun back towards the car in time to see Will concentrating very hard with wings still sprouting from his back.

“Relax,” she said with a smirk, “try stretching your back and neck, then bring them in.”

His scrunched up face fell and he took a deep breath, his muscles rippling as his wings slowly retreated and he stood before her looking once again human.

“There, see? Relax instead of flexing your muscles and they will slide in and out easily. But we need to go so grab your shirt, hurry up.”

A thought came to Carmilla and she turned as Will was grabbing his shirt.

“Hey Will? Did you take a bike outside of The Fresh earlier?”

He gave her a weird look before answering, “No, I can give you one better though. I stole some guy’s car and ran it into a pole. I swear I think I totaled it.”

That’s weird, but not impossible. I mean they weren’t the only two who could cause problems in this town. Humans were very good at causing trouble without help. Once they were both in the car and racing the rising sun toward home, Carmilla continued, “Ok now do you have any questions?”

She regretted asking even before he opened his mouth. The ride home felt like forever but in reality it took less time than the drive there.

The duo pulled up to their house around 4, thankfully with enough time for a few hours of sleep before anyone had to be up for work. As they split, each going to their respective room feeling refreshed, Carmilla made a beeline for her bed. She was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.

\-----------------

Her hand shot out, punching the alarm clock that sang its last wake up song before shattering against the wall.

_Well crap, there goes another one…_

Carmilla opened her eyes just a crack before they flung wide open and her legs were over the side of the bed.

_Shitshitshit I didn’t plan anything for tonight. What should we do? Where should we go?_

Carmilla stood up and ran to the shower, taking the fastest shower in the history of man. As she dressed, the demon’s mind never stopped. Should she take Laura out to a movie? The boardwalk? The beach?

She stopped in her tracks as the thought hit her. She knew exactly what she was going to do tonight. A smile spread over her face as she congratulated herself on the idea. Not even the little blonde who time and time again surprised Carmilla with her reactions could resist this. No way in hell.

\---------

Carmilla had to keep herself from taking the clock off the wall to see if there were even batteries in it because it felt like the hands had to be stuck. Time was going so slowly and there was no one coming into the restaurant to distract her in the slightest. Glancing around for anyone who could actually write her up, Carmilla slid her phone out of her pocket for the umpteenth time that day but this time was rewarded with a message from an unknown number.

Unknown (2:37 pm): _Hey it’s Laura. I hope this is Carmilla because this is the number she put in my phone…_

She didn’t even finish reading the run on text before she saved the number and replied.

Carmilla (2:38 pm): _Yes dork, its Carmilla_

Laura (2:40 pm): _Oh good. I just wanted to give you my number because you know, you gave me yours and all. I hope I didn’t bother you…_

Carmilla (2:41 pm): _Hey it’s fine. I’m just standing here at work doing nothing. We are so dead today_

Laura (2:41 pm): _Well that sucks_

Laura (2:42 pm): _So ummm, are we still on for tonight?_

Carmilla (2:43 pm): _Absolutely cutie ;)  I just need to run home after work and get changed then I will pick you up. Sound good?_

Laura (2:43pm): _Yes of course!_

Carmilla (2:44 pm): _Good_

Carmilla (2:44 pm): _Hey creampuff, we just had people walk in. I will text you later_

Laura (2:45 pm): _Ok! Talk to you later!_

\---------------

The small rush didn’t last long and before she knew it, Carmilla was once again holding the bar up with her eyes glued to the clock. Lafontaine had left over an hour ago with some excuse or another and now she just needed to wait for JP who was her relief to come in before she could leave. However he was supposed to be here at 4 and it was 4:07 and the demon couldn’t keep her fingers from tapping, just waiting for the other bartender. She felt him pull up in his car and Carmilla already had her keys in her hand and was halfway to the door before he even got out of his car.

She brushed past him on his way up the ramp and she had to keep herself from making a comment about his lateness because she was too excited and very nervous about her date. Carmilla was in her car and pulling out before he even reached the door and was speeding away in a matter of seconds. The sun warmed her face as the wind whipped her hair around her head and she smiled. Tonight would be a night that Laura would never forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you notice I have made a mistake in any part of my fic or something doesn't make sense, please let me know and I will either fix it or explain it as best as I can. Thank you so very much.  
> **Follow me on tumblr, my inbox is always open! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/butiwilllove


	4. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Danny gets suspicious. Carmilla turns on the seductive charm, and Laura has a couple of firsts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Possible trigger warning: recreational use of alcohol and drunkenness

-Danny-

“I’m serious Perry, I have a bad feeling about this.”

“I know honey, you’ve told me quite a few times already.”

Danny and Perry both had the day off and were using this time as a strategy meeting. Both angels were currently in their living room, Perry was sitting in the armchair facing the television that was more of a prop than anything.

“And I will say it again if I have to because you aren’t listening!” Danny started to raise her voice but was immediately chastised by the look shot her way by Perry, “I mean, I know Carmilla. I was here the last time she was on earth. Last time was, well, it was bad.”

“I have heard the stories, I know what happened” Perry continued, “but we have our orders. Not even I can change them, and we have more important problems than a single girl. We are here to protect everyone in this town and stop whatever these two are up to.”

“Yes but isn’t this ‘one girl’ part of ‘everyone in this town’?” Danny replied, much more careful of her tone this time.

The older angel sighed and gave Danny a look she knew meant Perry could see that she was making a good point. To give Perry the tiny push she knew was needed, Danny lifted herself off of the door frame she had been leaning against and sat on the couch facing her superior.

“I know everyone here is a priority but give me one day. I know Laura and I know that she is getting closer with Carmilla. Just give me the rest of the day to prove I’m right, and if I’m not, then I will concede that nothing is happening there and we can go on to the ‘more important problems’ but,” Danny looked Perry straight in the eye, “if I’m right, we have a better place to start than running around, cleaning up after what Carmilla and Will have already done. If I’m right, we may be able to figure out what they are planning before they have a chance to go through with it.”

The tall angel knew she had won when Perry gave another sigh and began, “Ok, but only…”

“Thank you! You won’t regret this!” Danny was already up and heading to her room, phone in hand with a text written and about to send.

Danny (3:54 pm): _Hey Laura! You are off today right? Want to hang out?_

Danny had made it only a few steps when her phone made a BING and alerted her to Laura’s reply.

Laura(3:55 pm): _I am so sorry, I wish I could but I kinda already have plans…_

Danny(3:57 pm): _Plans? Doing anything fun?_

Laura (3:59 pm): _Actually yeah, I may or may not be going out with Carmilla…_

Danny’s heart sank when she read that, taking a deep breath and typing out and deleting a few replies before finally responding.

Danny (4:05 pm) _Please be careful, ok? I know you don’t believe me but she is bad news. I just don’t want to see you get hurt…_

Laura (4:07 pm): _I know, I know. And we aren’t GOING OUT like on a date, just going out like friends. I will be fine_

Danny (4:11 pm): _Could you do me a favor? Just text me once you get home?_

Laura (4:14 pm): _Seriously, what could Carmilla have done to make you so paranoid? No offense but I already have one overprotective parent, I don’t need another one._

Danny had definitely not expected that to be Laura’s response. She had known the girl for a few months and honestly couldn’t say she knew much about her past, so maybe she had hit some kind of sore spot?

Danny (4:17 pm): _Over protective parent? Sorry I care about you and I have seen what she has done in the past…_

Laura (4:21 pm): _No Danny, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I appreciate you looking out for me I just don’t think Carmilla is as bad as you are convinced she is._

At this point, Danny was sitting on her bed, her arms propped on her legs almost with her head in her hands. This wasn’t good and she would not let what happened last time to happen again; especially not to Laura.

Danny (4:25 pm): _Okay, I will stop saying stuff like that. I will give her the benefit of the doubt. But maybe you could text me when you get back and tell me how your ‘not a date’ went?_

Laura (4:26 pm): _Yeah sure, sounds like a plan! I have to go though so I will text you later. Bye!_

Danny was up and off the bed and downstairs in the blink of an eye. Perry was still in the living room, the television was tuned to the news but Danny was on her own mission.

“Perry, something really is going on.”

Danny’s tone must have gotten through to Perry because her attention was immediately on the younger angel.

“Laura is going out with Carmilla tonight.”

Perry seemed confused, “Is that why you came down here in such a hurry? Because they are hanging out tonight?”

“You don’t get it Per,” Danny had to reign in her impatience and remember she was talking to her superior before continuing, “In the thousands and thousands of years I have known Carmilla, she has never ‘gone out’ with anyone. Not even just dating, she has never spent time with anyone one-on-one unless she is planning something. Something is going to happen tonight, I don’t know what it is but something is going to happen. And since we know, we can stop it.”

Understanding dawns on Perry’s face followed by a genuine smile and says, “Danny, you are brilliant. It seems as though we have plans for tonight.”

-Laura-

_Oh. My. God. She’s here._

True to their word, Lafontaine had come over early to help the ball of nerves that was Laura get ready and go over the plan for the night. All of this however, flew out of her head the second she saw the jeep pull up. Laura, of course, had been waiting by the window because she had most definitely been too excited to sit down as she waited for Carmilla to arrive. Now, any confidence she had evaporated and her insecurities flared up.

_Dear God she looks amazing, am I dressed alright?_

_Did I dress up too much?_

_Am I looking too casual?_

_Oh God my hair is probably a mess._

_Well it is now that you just ran your hand through it._

_Take a breath, calm down._

Laura’s phone buzzed in her hand, she glanced down and saw it was a text from Carmilla.

Carmilla (4:47 pm): _Hey cutie, I’m outside. Are you ready?_

_Just breathe Laura, it’s obviously not a date. If it was a date she would have come up to the door, not sent a text saying that she was here. You got this._

The blonde checked her reflection in the hallway mirror one more time, smoothing her light blue/gray button up shirt (Laf had insisted it hugged her in all the right places) and gave her jeans a light pull from the belt loops as they had slid down her hips slightly. She took a deep breath and walked out the door. Turning to make sure she had locked it, Laura walked as nonchalantly as she could down the driveway to where Carmilla waited in her idling jeep.

Laura had to admit, Carmilla in her jeep was really hot. The bartender had taken the doors off as well as the plastic cover over the back, so all that was left was the frame and the windshield. Laura could just hope they wouldn’t get in an accident because the open cabin didn’t offer much protection.

The brunette had turned at the sound of the front door closing and Laura was acutely aware of the pair of devastating brown eyes that were slowly dragging down her body. Of course, she felt her cheeks heat up and knew she was blushing. The sun was shining directly in her eyes with no clouds to impede the blinding rays. But then Laura used her hand as a visor and finally saw what Carmilla was wearing and wow, she was sure her face was completely red. The bartender was giving Laura an appreciating smirk as she sat in her car, left hand on the wheel and her right hand resting lazily on the gear shift. Admittedly, Laura was the last person to know anything about fashion, but the way that Carmilla’s loose grey shirt draped over her top, the neck wide so that it covered her right shoulder but bared the left, had the blonde’s eyes traveling. And the way her black skinny jeans hugged her legs? Laura had to concentrate very hard to breathe because wow, it was like the clothes were made specifically to show off this woman’s body. Her eyes traveled back to the brunette’s face and realized her smirk had transformed into an amused smile.

“See something you like, Sundance?” Carmilla laughed.

“What?”

“Well, you just stopped walking and were staring at me instead of getting in the car,” she explained, motioning to the empty seat next to her, “I mean, if you want to just stand there that’s fine but if I remember correctly, you promised to show me around.”

Laura’s face was on fire as she slid into the passenger seat, muttering an apology and averting her eyes.

“Hey cutie, calm down. It was just a joke, relax.” Carmilla placed her hand on Laura’s leg and the contact had quite an electrifying effect on the blonde whose eyes immediately darted from the hand on her leg to the eyes of the woman next to her. “Are you alright?” the driver asked, a bit concerned she might have broken her passenger somehow. When Laura gave a nod and some of her confidence returned, Carmilla gave her a bright smile and said, “Great! Now where to first?”

-Carmilla-

_Well this is… different._

It was such a beautiful day, sunny but not too hot due to the cool breeze coming from the ocean. After she had gotten her ricocheting emotions in order (which took all of Carmilla’s will not to laugh at), Laura had directed them into downtown Silas. They had parked the car and walked around, the blonde getting over her reserve and babbling on and on about the businesses they passed and memories sparked by the most random places.

It seemed that all the locals here knew each other. As they walked around and went in shops, almost everyone greeted Laura with a smile and conversation, more than the standard ‘Hey how have you been?’ The cute blonde had taken her in almost every shop, and those they hadn’t ventured into were given full summaries so by the end, Carmilla knew everything there was to know about the stores and the people who owned them.

There was a park right at the edge of the downtown shops where they strolled, Laura barely taking a breath between stories. It was a cute little park, not much but grass and a gazeebo cut in half by a river. The story that stuck with Carmilla was excitedly recounted when they reached a bridge that arched over the deep but lazy water. Laura had run to the middle of the bridge and laughed, giggling more than telling the story of how Lafontaine had playfully pushed Kirsch at the top of the bridge which ended with him going into the river and how Laura had fallen in as well when she had tried to grab him.

She would never admit it to anyone, but Carmilla’s smiles during their downtown excursion weren’t forced, but very genuine. That is, until she felt them. They were heading back to the car, the last of the sun’s rays painting the sky orange and purple, when Carmilla felt their auras. Angelic auras were like sunbathing on a cloudless summer day except the sun was just pure goodness and love that instead of giving you a nice tan just made you want to ‘do the right thing’. It made Carmilla want to puke.

Her eyes scanned their surroundings, looking for the two redheads she knew were nearby.

“Helloooooo, anyone there?” Laura’s peppy voice broke her concentration and the brunette gave her a confused look which prompted the girl to repeat her earlier question. “I said, are you hungry? I really want to take you to this restaurant. The view is amazing and the food is fantastic!”

“What? Oh yeah that sounds good” she tried to sound like she hadn’t been zoned out but failed.

They arrived at her car when Laura asked, “Hey, are you alright? You seem kind of distracted.”

_Pull yourself together. This isn’t leisure time, remember the plan._

“Yeah cutie, I’m fine. I just got lost in thought for a moment,” The brunette turned and gave her a smile before saying, “but I think I have a better idea. Actually, I would like to confess I had this idea before even picking you up, but I think you will like it.”

The night air was turning a little chilly as Laura’s eyebrows rose, confused. “But didn’t you just want me to show you around a bit…?”

She laughed at her tiny, oblivious blonde passenger as she started the car and pointed it towards Laura’s house. “Creampuff, you don’t really think that’s why I asked to hang out with you tonight, do you?” At the silence and confused expression directed at her, Carmilla took that as confirmation that yes, she actually had thought that. This made the brunette almost giggle as she somehow drove perfectly without taking her eyes from Laura’s face, “I asked you to show me around as an excuse to take you on a date.”

The demon had never been happier to be able to use the rest of her senses to know her surroundings at this moment. In the innumerable years she had been alive, never had she experienced anything as perfectly adorable as Laura’s face as what she had said sunk in. Carmilla felt her confusion turn into understanding and subsequently, intense and disbelieving happiness. Each emotion crossed her face in turn, finally leaving Laura with her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

The brunette simply turned her gaze back to the road, the side of her mouth tilting up in a satisfied (and somewhat relieved) smile at the reaction she had received.

“Now, cutie,” she purred, “It’s my turn.”

-Laura-

_I am dreaming, I have to be dreaming. Ow! Okay, so I am not asleep. P.S. You didn’t need to pinch yourself THAT hard to come to the same conclusion. No. Focus. This just turned into a date. No, this was a date the whole time and you took her downtown and babbled like a complete idiot. Real smooth Hollis._

The jeep pulled up smoothly in front of Laura’s house and she gave Carmilla another confused look, “So your turn is taking me home?”

Well I mean, that would make sense. Her idea of a good time would most likely getting rid of you and…

“Pfft no,” Carmilla gave her a playful shove before swinging out of the car and began walking to Laura’s door, “We are here to change. What I have planned isn’t something that we do in clothes like these.”

Laura gave up trying to understand what this woman had in store and simply followed her. She reached the porch and unlocked the door, motioning for Carmilla to go first.

“Okay, here is the plan. First of all, we need something to eat. It is… 9 o’clock. Perfect. Okay, you go upstairs and get changed. Put on something nice. Is it alright if I make us sandwiches or something?”

Laura, resigned to the fact that she wouldn’t know what was going on until Carmilla told her, nodded in answer before heading to her room. She opened her closet, turned on the light, and sighed.

_Something nice? What is that supposed to mean? Ugh I wish Laf was here to help me…_

A few minutes of rummaging through her clothes and a couple more trying on and discarding possibilities, she heard Carmilla call “Hey! Did you find something?” Before she was able to answer, she heard footsteps on the stairs and her voice was much closer “How is the search goi…. Oh wow.”

The brunette had walked into her room and was now trying to hold back a smile as she took in the outfit Laura had just vetoed and hadn’t been able to get off just yet.

“My, don’t you look like a… virgin sacrifice,” the bartender was amused even though she was doing her best to hold back her smile.

“What?” Laura asked indignantly, “You said something nice! You never said what kind of nice! A little context would be fantastic!”

Her little outburst had Carmilla’s perfectly sculpted eyebrows rising in amusement before she seemed to take pity on the blonde and held up a finger, “Give me one moment.”

Laura had to use all of her willpower to keep her thoughts from exploring just what fingers like that could do as Carmilla walked into her closet and came out less than a minute later holding a pair of skinny jeans.

“Ok so I am still not telling you where we are going, but unfortunately I didn’t find any shirts that would be appropriate for our intended destination. So throw these pants on and we will stop by my place on the way and I will lend you one of my shirts that will look great with them. Oh,” she went back in the closet and came back holding a pair of black flats, “and here, put these on. I finished the sandwiches we will eat on the way to my house.”

Laura waited until Carmilla had left her room to return back downstairs before changing her pants as quickly as possible and slipped her feet into the flats. She took a deep breath and glanced in the mirror, using her fingers to comb through her hair and grabbed a hair tie before flicking her light off and following Carmilla down. She had barely turned the corner to the kitchen before the brunette grabbed her by the shoulders and quickly led her out to the car, pausing only briefly to allow Laura to lock the door behind them.

When they had gotten into her jeep, Carmilla revved the engine and tore away from the curb, making a quick left turn and heading north parallel to the boardwalk. Laura ate quickly and within five minutes, they were pulling smoothly into the driveway of a cute little ranch style house that was situated in one of the richer neighborhoods. It had a cozy feel to it and Laura barely had time to take it in before her date (she still couldn’t believe that was what she was) hopped out of the car and made a “come on” motion. Following the impatient woman, she made her way up the walk and through the door being held open for her. Carmilla was walking backwards through the living room and down the hall with a smile on her face, willing Laura to hurry with her eyes. When they turned into a room on the right and the lights flickered on, Laura was surprised at the room in front of her.

“This is your room?” she asked quizzically, her eyebrows up.

“The one and only cutie, wait here for a sec,” the brunette said over her shoulder as she headed into the walk in closet to the right of the door she had just stepped through.

Laura took a moment to look around the room she had just entered. From the doorway, there was a twin sized bed pushed into the corner, the head against the wall. It was neatly made with cheetah print (of all things) sheets and covered with a brown blanket. Sandwiched between the bed and a dresser was a small night stand containing a lamp and a pile of books, all of which looked like they were being read. The dresser’s top was barely visible due to not only lotions and perfumes and deodorant, but also notebooks and other random items including a chess board. To the right of the dresser was a large book shelf that reached to the wall opposite the door whose shelves were stacked maybe 3 rows thick with books and were still overflowing to the top and on the floor. The wall across from the door was mostly windows and in the corner between the back and right walls was a desk and rolling chair which were again, both overflowing with books.

Carmilla’s voice called out of the closet, “Here we go!” She walked out holding a blue/gray lace shirt with a low cut neckline and held it up to Laura’s chest, visualizing it on her. “Here you go, take that off and put this on.”

Laura took the shirt and looked into Carmilla’s expectant eyes, holding the gaze for a moment before the brunette understood what she wanted.

“Oh right, I will just go back in the closet and I will get changed, and you get put that on out here ok?”

As soon as the closet door shut behind her, Laura closed the door to the room out of habit before unbuttoning her shirt and sliding it off of her. Thanking God that she had worn a black camisole under her shirt, the blonde pulled the lace shirt over her torso and looked around for a mirror. She turned around as a knock had come from the closet door.

“Hey, are you dressed?” came Carmilla’s muffled voice.

“Yeah, I’m done,” she answered, and when the closet door opened, her mouth went completely dry and she is sure her face was once again red.

Laura’s eyes made their way up her body, starting at the black heels on her feet and moved on to the black leather pants that had to be illegal. They form fit to her shapely legs and stopped low on her hips, showing off her bare midriff before, wow, a black corset covered her upper belly and breasts. That is ALL it covered. Carmilla’s shoulders and upper chest were clearly visible and the blonde had to tear her eyes off of the brunette’s body before she completely embarrassed herself. When she looked into her eyes, Laura was surprised to see Carmilla was still slowly taking her in.

“You look amazing,” the bartender said almost breathlessly before she met Laura’s eyes and smiled.

She couldn’t stop herself from smiling, Carmilla had just said she looked good! At that moment, both girls heard the front door open and the voices of two people laughing before the door shut again. Their eyes met and Laura saw something flash across Carmilla’s face before she had opened the door and walked toward the voices.

“Hey kitty, going out tonight?” came a male voice who she guessed belonged to Will.

“Of course,” came Carmilla’s teasing reply, “I was actually going to ask if you and your… friend wanted to come too?”

A moment’s pause before “Sure, where are we going? The usual?”

“Of course, now hurry up and get ready. We are already ready to leave.”

“We?” Will’s voice asked.

“Laura, why don’t you come out here?” the brunette called and Laura made her way shyly out into the living room.

She came out to see Carmilla standing in front Will whose hand was resting on the waist of a smoking hot woman who had to be at least be twenty-five. She gave the group a shy smile and Will’s eyebrows went up as a smile that Laura could have sworn was borderline predatory grew on his face.

“Well done Kitty, how did you manage to get this one?”

“Shut up Will and go get ready, we are leaving in five minutes with or without you,” Carmilla snapped at him.

This time his eyebrows went up at his sister, “Well someone seems a little protective.”

Carmilla gave him a look that clearly said ‘shut up’ which made him laugh as he turned down the hallway.

“I will be right back, Ashley you are already dressed just fine,” he called over his shoulder to the woman who was now leaning against the counter. Laura looked at the woman’s dress that could scarcely be called that since it barely covered anything and looked so tight it might rip at the slightest movement.

In a time that should have been impossible, Will returned in a completely different outfit. He was sporting khakis and a loose, form fitting button up shirt that really worked wonders for him.

“Well, are we going or not?” he asked the group.

Laura saw Carmilla roll her eyes before they all walked out to the car. The ocean breeze blew the blonde’s hair and she was sure it was ruined, but it seemed to just make the brunette’s hair look even better. Is there anything that wasn’t prefect about this woman?

The four of them piled into the jeep, Will and Ashley climbing in the back. Driving somewhat slower than she had earlier, Carmilla headed towards the boardwalk again, driving a few blocks past The Fresh before parking in a one in a million spot that didn’t have a parking meter, a coveted spot that is impossible to come across during the summer. Everyone bounded out of the car and they headed down the boulevard that was home to the beach clubs; packed and blaring music. It was obvious now where they were going and Carmilla led the group to the front of a line of people waiting to have their IDs checked before paying the entrance fee to get in.

Not one of the people outside the door looked particularly happy to see the group completely ignore the line. Laura hesitated, uncomfortable with the glares being thrown their way from those waiting to get in. It was then that Carmilla changed. Gone was the girl who she had spent her afternoon with and in her place was the confident and calculating Carmilla that she remembered from before her bike was stolen. Laura felt a hand snake around her waist protectively and guide her up to the bouncer whose face lit up with a smile when he saw Carmilla.

“Hey there! It’s been a while!” The big, muscled man smiled at the brunette.

“How’s it going Phil? Any way we can get in?” Carmilla asked, giving him a grin that made Laura’s knees weak.

“For you? Of course!” he laughed and moved aside to let the four in, waving Laura off when she tried to show him her ID. There were angry shouts from the people on line as they saw the group waltz in, but were silenced by Phil’s booming voice telling them to shut-up.

The bartender pulled Laura closer by her waist as she led the way into the club whose windows were vibrating in time to the bass of the song being blasted inside. As soon as she crossed through the doorway, she was completely immersed in the music blaring from speakers placed around the large room they had just entered. She was glad Carmilla was holding onto her because she would have easily been lost in the crowd. There was an overwhelming smell of alcohol and sweat, blue and white strobe lights illuminated the haze of smoke that came from those who ignored the no smoking signs. Bodies were everywhere, gyrating to the music, standing in groups talking or just walking around. There didn’t seem to be any place to stand where you wouldn’t be touching anyone else.

Laura quickly realized they had lost Will and Ashley in the crowd, but Carmilla didn’t seem to mind. She walked easily through the mass of bodies with Laura in tow, straight up to one of the bars, this one located close to the dance floor. As soon as the bartender saw her, he smiled and yelled what looked like “Hey!” but his voice didn’t even come close to being heard over the music. The man finished up the drink he was making, took the money as he handed the drink across the bar, and walked over to the girls.

“And who is this lovely lady? Anyone whose name I should learn?” he yelled as he leaned over the bar to be heard, ignoring the mass of people obviously trying to get his attention for a drink.

“This is Laura, and yes you should learn her name!” Carmilla raised her voice as she put her mouth next to his ear to be heard.

Laura’s heart skipped a beat as the bartender’s eyes widened, he made a show of sticking a finger in his ear and pretending to clean it before leaning back towards her date.

“Did I hear you right? You want me to learn this one’s name?” he laughed before giving Laura a serious look, “I guess there really is a first for everything huh?”

“Shut up and make us a drink Paul!” she gave him a playful swipe before turning to the blonde, “What do you want?”

Still trying to take in what she had thought she had just heard, Laura shrugged and yelled “I don’t know, whatever you are having I guess!”

She had a feeling that was a bad idea when Carmilla’s eyebrows rose and she smirked, “Two of the usual then! Actually, make mine a double! And I have a feeling we will need some coke as a chaser for this one!”

Paul gave her a nod before he grabbed at a stack of plastic cups and lined three up on the bar. He grabbed the soda gun with his left hand and filled one on the end with coke as he upended a bottle filled with a dark brown liquid and starting with the cup on the right and moved down the line, filling the second cup with double the amount in the first. He grouped the three cups together and enclosed his hands around them, moving them across the bar to the girls.

“There you go! I already put them on your tab,” he grinned as he tapped his finger against his temple.

“You know me too well” the brunette turned to Laura and shot her a grin, “Well? Bottoms up cutie!”

Carmilla raised her cup, looking expectantly at her date. Laura was hesitant and wouldn’t be surprised if she looked scared.

“Um, I’ve never actually had a drink before…” she said, which was as good as whispering in this place because she couldn’t even hear herself over the music. When the brunette frowned, Laura raised herself on her toes and angled her mouth so it was next to the other woman’s ear. “I’ve never actually had alcohol before!”

Carmilla pulled back with a surprised look on her face. It looked to Laura like she said “Really?” but it was too loud to be sure, so she simply nodded.

Carmilla’s smile was very big at this point, she put her mouth next to Laura’s ear and yelled “Ok well then it’s a good thing I’m here! I won’t lie it will burn but throw it back in one gulp then drink the soda, it will help.”

She backed up and Laura nodded hesitantly, taking the cup of alcohol in her left hand and the coke in the other. Carmilla smiled and raised her plastic cup, tapping it against the one cautiously held by Laura. The brunette threw her head back and the amber liquid disappeared down her throat. The cup went from her mouth directly to the bar top where she crushed it. Her face was in a slight grimace when she looked at Laura, nodding her head in encouragement.

_Well, here goes nothing…_

The blonde threw her head back as she had seen Carmilla do and the liquid rushed into her mouth. Immediately she felt her eyes water and fought the insatiable need to cough, swallowing what felt like molten lava before remembering the soda. She raised her other hand and nearly choked before gulping the coke. When the cup was empty, she glanced at Carmilla through teary eyes to see her laughing with her head thrown back. Well, she had made her laugh, maybe this inhumane drink was good for at least one thing.

“You alright cupcake?” Carmilla asked when she had managed to control her laughter.

“What in God’s name is that???” she screamed to be heard over the mind numbingly loud music, still wiping tears from her eyes.

“That, my dear, is Jack Daniels! You just took your first shot of whiskey!” the brunette beamed, her smile contagious. “The first one of the night is always the worst! Want another one?” Carmilla yelled to the blonde who after a moment began nodding.

There was an unfamiliar warmth emanating from Laura’s stomach, after the initial burn it wasn’t so bad. Carmilla caught Paul’s attention and twirled her finger in the air. He gave her a smile before grabbing the two empty cups and putting two more on the bar top. Once again he simultaneously filled the two cups with Jack as he refilled Laura’s soda, giving her a wink before returning to the crowd surrounding the bar.

Each girl grabbed the cup of alcohol, knocked the glasses in the air and shot them back, Laura now knowing to keep the soda ready. After washing it down, Laura saw Carmilla watching her with a knowing smile.

“How are you feeling cupcake?” she smiled, edging closer to her so that there was barely a hair between the two of them.

Laura tilted her head up, their faces so close that if Laura wanted, she could simply put her weight on her toes and they would be kissing. At that thought, she became hyper aware of the brunette’s lips. Her eyes moved back and forth between Carmilla’s eyes and lips, lips that were driving her crazy with how soft and inviting they looked. The deep bass of the music was slowly making its way through Laura’s body, matching her heartbeat and making her a tad light headed. Not light headed like she felt she would faint, but light headed like she suddenly wanted to have fun tonight and not think about anything but now.

“I feel great” she said softly, her eyes finally holding Carmilla’s gaze.

The corner of her mouth turned up as she replied “Great, in that case would you like to dance?”

Laura answered with a smile before the brunette grabbed her hand and led her through the crowd. Once again thankful that she was with Carmilla who seemed to be in her element, the blonde allowed herself to be pulled in and out of people who were dancing, making out, talking, drinking. Once they reached what Laura thought was the center of the dance floor, the bartender turned and smiled at the blonde.

This was as far as Laura had thought, now standing there awkwardly not knowing what to do. Turns out she didn’t even need to do anything since Carmilla’s smile changed to one that Laura had never seen aimed at her. The brunette’s eyes were hooded and she was moving slowly and sensually, she closed the space between her and Laura. It was here that the music that had been playing changed slightly as the DJ began to transition into the next song.

The bartender recognized the song before Laura did, closing whatever small space was left between them. Their bodies were flush against each other, Carmilla’s body moving to the beat. If Laura was capable of any rational thought before, she definitely wasn’t now. She didn’t know how to dance even a little so she tried moving her hips before Carmilla smiled and shook her head, leaning her head over Laura’s shoulder and placing both of her hands on the blonde’s hips.

“Just follow my lead” she whispered into Laura’s ear, her voice sounding like pure sex to the inexperienced blonde.

It was then that Laura forgot how to breathe when the brunette’s hands began moving her hips to the beat. She quickly put her hands up and hooked them over Carmilla’s shoulders to balance herself. Laura felt the pull from between her legs intensify ten fold, her hips moving against her date’s and their faces were so close they were breathing in each other’s air.

The hands moved from her hips when Laura had finally found the beat of the song and they roamed slowly up her back. Everything on her mind was gone as Laura’s world narrowed, only feeling the bass and the hands that had found her hips again and were slowly moving up her sides, making her shiver with anticipation. She licked her lips, her body acting on its own.

“There you go cutie, just move with the music” Carmilla whispered sensuously near her head, so close that Laura moaned when she felt the other woman’s breath on her ear.

The song began to change again and this time Laura knew the song, but was surprised when the woman who she was dancing with slowly circled her before quickly pulling Laura’s body back against her own. She was now faced away from Carmilla, her back fit perfectly against the brunette’s chest and her rear pushed up against hips behind her. Laura’s breath was short and shallow, the new song fully came over the speakers and the hands enclosed around her body. One grabbed her hip and the other curled around her midriff. Each hand guided her movements perfectly against the woman behind her, and honestly she was glad because her legs were so weak that those hands were the only things holding her up.

Carmilla’s hand on her midriff opened and her fingers splayed over her stomach and very close to exactly where Laura’s body was begging for them. She felt the other hand slowly caress her side and then over her shoulder to her neck. She hadn’t even noticed how much she was sweating until Carmilla used her hand to push the hair off of her neck.

Her neck now bare with her hair flung over her shoulder, Laura felt something that shot a shiver up her spine at the same time she felt the throbbing intensify between her legs. Those soft lips she had been staring at all night ghosted over her shoulder and up her neck making her hair stand on end. The hand on her stomach was still keeping her pressed against the brunette’s sinfully swaying hips in beat with the song while the other one was lightly roving up her side and over her bare shoulder, and then there they were again.

Those lips brushed lightly across Laura’s shoulder to her neck where they lightly kissed their way to her ear. Every nerve in the blonde’s body was standing to attention as she felt those amazing lips stop right below her ear and the exhale, then she felt teeth lightly nibble her earlobe.

Her breath caught, all of her senses heightened. She felt hands exploring her body, Carmilla’s breath across her neck, the smell of sweat and the heat of the bodies moving around them. It felt like she was in a trance, like nothing she did right now could hurt or affect her past the moment. She realized what she was feeling was most likely the alcohol and mentally shrugged. She was with Carmilla, what was the worst that could happen?

_Wait, no. This isn’t right._

The drunken haze lifted slightly from Laura’s mind. This isn’t what she wanted, this is not what she meant to do. The blonde stopped her hips and turned to face Carmilla’s curious expression.

“Is everything alright?” she yelled next to the blonde’s ear.

Now aware of the way the alcohol was affecting her, Laura’s head was pounding and her mouth was dry. She blinked rapidly and raised her hands to cup her ears, hoping that blocking some of the sound would make her more able to think clearly. She took a deep breath and rewound, it’s all very out of character for her. Not only is she in a club with this ridiculously attractive woman, but she even had alcohol, and was grinding with her!

“I don’t know, I feel weird” she was finally able to reply to the concerned Carmilla who was now holding her shoulders.

“Here, come with me” she raised her voice in Laura’s ear before taking her hand and pulling her through the swarm of gyrating bodies.

-Carmilla-

It was so sudden, Carmilla did a double take. One moment she could taste the lust coming off of the blonde, felt the way the alcohol was affecting her and was using it to her advantage. The next thing she knew, Laura had stopped moving and that lust disappeared. Well, it was still there but took a spot on the backburner of Laura’s emotions to make room for a slightly more sober feeling of surprise and embarrassment and what felt like guilt. Laura had turned to face the demon, looking like someone who was about to get in trouble.

After coming to the conclusion that she must be feeling the negative effects of her first consumption of alcohol, Carmilla pulled her to the bar and sat her down, motioning for Paul to bring her a bottle of water. Once he had, she removed the cap and handed it to Laura who greedily gulped half the bottle before stopping and putting her head on the bar top.

“Hey, why don’t we get out of here?” the demon asked, an idea forming.

The blonde picked her head up and nodded, so Carmilla reached into her top to grab the two twenties she had tucked away.  Hey, it’s not like there were any pockets in this outfit, looking this good needs some creative thinking. She caught Paul’s eye and pointedly put the money on the small shelf on the inside of the bar.

“Alright cupcake, let’s go” she said, helping the tipsy Laura stand before making their way through the door and out into the fresh air.

“Oh, that’s much better” Laura groaned as she felt the cool night’s breeze, now free of smoke and the smell of sweat and booze, “Thanks, I think I’m…” Laura tried to take a step away from Carmilla but swayed dangerously before Carmilla grabbed her elbow to keep the blonde from pitching face first into the sidewalk.

“You know, I almost didn’t believe you when you said you had never had alcohol before, but now I definitely see it.” The demon smirked at her very inebriated date that was doing her best to seem sober.

Carmilla couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy for the incredible fragility that is the human body. In the hundreds and hundreds of years since one of these tiny minded mortals accidentally created alcohol, she had never been drunk. Not like she hadn’t tried but the most she had felt was a warming of her body and a slight haze in her mind. The immune system of angels (fallen or not) is too fast in detecting the poison that is alcohol and eradicates it before it can be felt, unless the alcohol is being consumed in large amounts and very quickly (or so she had heard).

“Come on girl scout, I’ve got you,” she quipped, helping the girl walk towards her jeep.

“No, I’m okay,” Laura said sounding as if she was trying to convince herself as well as Carmilla, “I’m okay.”

“You sure?” the demon wasn’t convinced but stepped away from Laura, allowing her to stand on her own.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just don’t walk too fast.”

Ok, this is still salvageable. You’ve done this innumerable times with much more conservative people. You’ve got this.

The pair rounded the corner just as Carmilla felt the aura’s of the two confused angels leave the club, obviously trying to find where they had gone. Too bad for them, being a demon meant Carmilla could mask not only her aura but the aura of another as well. To the two holy stalkers, Carmilla and Laura were just an empty patch of sidewalk.

After crossing the street, the duo finally reached the car. Laura went to walk around to get in the passenger side but Carmilla reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her walking and making the blonde turn to look back. She blinked, surprised at how close Carmilla was to her.

The demon smirked as she felt the blonde’s heartbeat turn into a drumroll when she backed her up; Laura’s back pushed against the side of the car. Carmilla felt the lust come back to the forefront of her mind as she pinned the blonde in place, an arm on either side of the girl whose hands had automatically reached out to hold the demon’s waist.

_Holy fuck, calm down. She is only touching your waist, get a grip!_

The night breeze blew some of Laura’s hair across her face but the blonde was entirely too busy blushing and dragging her eyes back and forth between the brunette’s eyes and lips. She smirked, slowly leaning her hips forward and trapping Laura between her and the car which seemed to make the little blonde forget to breathe.

Lowering her voice and making it husky in a way she knew drove women crazy, the bartender put her mouth next to Laura’s ear and said, “Are you having fun tonight Cutie?”

The girl shivered (not because of the cool night air either) and let out the breath she had been holding, her head tilted back slightly and her eyes closed.

After a breathy laugh, she continued, “Glad to hear it.”

Laura’s head tilted back a little further and she gulped audibly, her head succumbing to the haze of the alcohol once again. The demon lightly grinded her hips into the blonde and heard her breath hitch before lowering her head until her lips were barely brushing Laura’s collarbone.

“You are a very interesting woman, Laura Hollis,” she breathed into her skin, purposefully exhaling more than she needed to get a reaction out of the girl, “very interesting indeed.”

Ever so slowly, Carmilla ghosted her lips across to the other side of her neck and then back before making her way up the side of the girl’s neck. She couldn’t suppress the smile that turned her mouth up when Laura’s inhale quickly turned into a shallow gasp, her chin coming back down as she turned to look into the demon’s face.

“You’re not so boring yourself” she managed to whisper, all of her attention focused on Carmilla’s lips.

The brunette’s eyes were immediately drawn down when the blonde’s tongue crept out to wet her own lips.

_My God, let me do that for you._

Carmilla’s breath hitched and her hips grinded into Laura’s again in reaction, a moan escaping her mouth as her head tilted back once again. The brunette raised her right hand and pushed the strands of hair out of the blonde’s face, tucking them behind her ear. However instead of lowering it again, she used that hand to cup the back of the girl’s neck. This caught her attention and Laura’s eyes were wide when their gazes met. The demon peered from Laura’s eyes to her mouth and back as she slowly leaned in. Both girls held their breath, the moment interminable between the two.

At the very last second, Laura’s emotions flipped again from the inebriated and lust filled haze to surprised sobriety. Carmilla’s lips met the blonde’s cheek as she turned her head, the hands at her waist lightly but firmly pushing the brunette and putting room between the two. Laura’s face was bright red and she coughed, trying to alleviate the obvious awkwardness of what just happened.

“Well, I had a lot of fun tonight. Thank you so much for bringing me out” she laughed weakly before scooting past Carmilla’s dumbfounded expression and walked around the car to the passenger seat.

_What the? Did that... Did she just…?_

Laura was already in the car with her seatbelt buckled when Carmilla finally snapped out of her thoughts and got in the car, starting it before turning to look at her passenger.

“So, uh, home I guess?” she asked awkwardly, the blonde nodded as she looked anywhere but at Carmilla.

The short drive back to Laura’s house was silent in the most uncomfortable way, each girl lost in her own thoughts. It was only after Carmilla pulled her jeep up in front of her home that the blonde finally looked at her. The embarrassment and distinct discomfort coming from her passenger made it clear that Carmilla had done something wrong.

Laura smiled sheepishly in her direction, “Thank you so much for tonight, I really did have fun.”

Carmilla plastered a very convincing smile on her face as she answered, “It was my pleasure Creampuff. Maybe we can do it again soon? Well, maybe not exactly this again, but something?”

The blonde’s face lit up even though her emotions didn’t change an iota from the embarrassment and dejection that made Carmilla’s throat tighten, “Really? Yes, that would be amazing. I will, um, text you tomorrow?”

The hopeful look in Laura’s eyes made the brunette’s heart squeeze. She nodded and Laura flashed her a bright smile and hesitated, almost leaning forward before stopping herself .

“Well, I guess this is good night then…” the blonde gave Carmilla another sheepish smile before hopping out of the car and bouncing up the steps to the porch.

Once she had unlocked the door, Laura turned and waved before closing the door and shutting off the porch light behind her. If she hadn’t been completely distracted by the confusion of how and why Laura had denied her advances, she would have noticed the father’s car in the driveway and his interested aura peeking out through the curtains of an upstairs window.  The brunette shifted into drive and cruised away.

She took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of the ocean and hearing the waves crashing on the sand.

_Did that really just happen? No one has ever turned away from me like that, what did I do wrong?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to clarify that I absolutely do not condone and specifically discourage driving after you drink. It doesn't matter how much or how little, alcohol is alcohol.  
> If you notice I have made a mistake in any part of my fic or something doesn't make sense, please let me know and I will either fix it or explain it as best as I can. Thank you so very much.  
> **Follow me on tumblr, my inbox is always open! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/butiwilllove


	5. There's A First Time For Everything (Even For 'Someone Like You')

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we learn a bit more about Carmilla, but not nearly as much as we want to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS:  
> mentions of drugs and the selling of drugs  
> over consumption of alcohol

-Carmilla-

Carmilla would never understand how anyone could be a morning person. You should consider yourself honored if she got out of bed before noon, but being social? If you don’t want to be killed, you would be smart to wait until she has had her coffee. That’s another thing that annoys her, like alcohol, caffeine also has no effect on the angelic body. None of the medicines, chemicals, or drugs on earth do unless administered in high doses in a short amount of time. So really, Carmilla just needed to feel the burning liquid slide down her throat and to taste the bitterness to shock her body awake, it didn’t do anything more than that.

This morning was one for the records, not because she hadn’t slept, but because she still couldn’t figure out what had happened the previous night. And of course she was scheduled to open. With scalding coffee in hand, black and bitter to wake her up as best as possible, Carmilla dragged herself up the ramp and into the back door of The Fresh. Apparently no one had warned Perry not to mess with her before full consciousness had set in because as soon as she crossed the threshold, the demon felt like she had walked into an angry hornet’s nest, except instead of hornets she was immersed in the aura of a very impatient curly haired angel.

“Carmilla!” The sharp voice was like a slap to the face as the aggravated culinary manager marched across the dining room and grabbed the demon’s elbow, leading her to a small corner for some semblance of privacy. “Just what do you think you are doing?” she asked angrily.

_Well, this is new._

Carmilla made a show of yawning and blinking her eyes hoping her seeming disinterest would annoy the angel even more.

“Hmm? I’m here to open the bar, I could have told you that out there in the dining room though…”

“Cut the crap Carmilla, we know you are up to something.”

The demon picked up on her pronoun usage and a smirk grew on her face, “We? Oh, you mean you and the ginger giant following me last night?”

“Danny.” Perry ground out through her teeth, obviously very worked up about this, “Now where is Laura?”

She relaxed and took a step back, understanding now dawning on her as to why the angel was so irate this early in the morning.

“Now hold on just a moment,” Carmilla pretended to stifle a laugh to rile Perry up even more, “You haven’t come after me for any of the other girls I have… shown an interest in.” When she looked down and didn’t deny it, the demon continued, “So what is it about Laura that you want me to stay away from?”

The angel looked up about to reply when Carmilla interrupted her, “But no, it isn’t you, is it? It’s Danny who wants to keep me away from Laura.”

“I am not going to ask you again demon, what did you do with Laura? What happened after you slipped away from us last night?” She was done taking Carmilla’s taunts and was back to business, stepping forward almost as if to intimidate the brunette.

The demon stepped forward and met the angel, looking down her nose at the woman since Carmilla had maybe an inch of height on her. “You act as though I owe you an explanation angel. You might want to check that attitude before it gets you in trouble.”

Neither woman had any intention of backing down which is why it was probably a good thing that at that moment, Lafontaine walked around the corner with a smile on their face, “Hey guys, what’s going on?”

Carmilla smiled and took a step back, “Nothing, Perry here was just asking me something. Is it alright if I go back to opening the bar now?” She directed her question at the fuming angel who could do nothing but nod as she glared at the demon.

_Well well, isn’t that interesting._

The brunette began to open the bar, cutting fruit and making sure everything was stocked as she pondered what that meant.

Perry had already gone back into the kitchen with a final glare in Carmilla’s direction and Lafontaine had retreated into the manager’s office. The bartender was left alone to mull over everything.

Why would the angels follow her last night on her date? They had never done that before with any of the other girls she had shown attention to, not even with Elle. They hadn’t batted an eye at Elsie or the others that Carmilla had messed with since she had returned to Earth, so it had to be Laura. She knew there was something different about Laura, she had felt it so maybe the angels had too. It couldn’t be anything else. Laura was different, she had more than proven that last night.

Last night. Why did last night happen? Did she do something to offend the tiny blonde? Had she misread the situation? Laura had seemed tipsy but comfortable, and she was definitely affected by the demon’s seduction. What had gone wrong?

These thoughts continued to swirl around Carmilla’s head until she snapped out of the trance by the servers arriving. Looking at the clock she saw it was ten minutes until the doors opened. Carmilla grabbed her phone and typed out a quick text.

Carmilla: _Hey dweeb, I’m out at 3. Be ready at the house I’m picking you up and we are going over to Central_

William: _Central? What’s the occasion?_

Carmilla: _What did I tell you about your annoying ass questions this early?_

William: _Damn ok, get your grumpy ass some coffee before you kill someone without me_

Carmilla decided it would be better if she didn’t respond to that, so she took a deep breath and did her best to rid her mind of the tiny blonde dork and focus on getting through the day.

\----------------------

Laura (11:28 am): _Hey, thanks again for last night_

Laura (1:42 pm): _I hope I didn’t upset you or anything with the way the date ended…_

Laura(2:37 pm): _Carmilla?_

Laura (4:53 pm): Okay, so wh _at do you call a fake noodle?_

Laura (4:55 pm): _An IMPASTA!_

Laura (5:25 pm): _Ok so maybe it’s funnier in person…_

Laura (6:49 pm): _Is everything alright?_

Laura (7:15 pm): _Carmilla?_

Laura (7:36 pm): _Ok well I don’t want to bother you so text me when you get these okay?_

Carmilla rubbed her eyes and groaned when she finally checked her phone and saw the number of texts she had missed from Laura.

The demon had silenced her phone when she got the first text because she had wanted to distract herself from the questions gnawing at her about the previous night. It was now past ten o’clock at night and she had just returned from Central with Will.

Central was one of the neighboring towns that as with most of the surrounding area, Carmilla and Will were “disturbing the peace”. Central just happened to have the high school that the area’s kids filtered into and was therefore a fantastic place to go to stir up some trouble.

This afternoon she had thrown herself head first into Will’s training. She had stood in the background as the young demon had surprised her again and again with his smooth talking ways. In a single afternoon, Will had managed to integrate himself into many of the groups bouncing out the doors, excitedly chattering to each other about how close summer break was. Today was just the beginning though, all he had been expected to do was befriend a couple of kids to set the stage for later but instead he went pro and ended up selling pretty much all of the drugs that Carmilla had supplied him with, as well as a few other choice goods. She had to admit, the newbie had some skills.

But now Carmilla was no longer distracted by instructing her young charge. When they had gotten back to Silas, Carmilla had taken him out for drinks as a “good job not fucking up today!” kind of gesture. Unfortunately, William’s smooth talking had taken him from her and now the demon was sitting alone at the bar. She knew she should be doing exactly what Will had done, and the way most of the bar patrons were staring at her made it obvious she wouldn’t have to try that hard. But the brunette just didn’t have it in her to go and make seduction eyes at some man or woman who meant less than nothing to her, she wanted to figure out the little blonde dork who was on her mind.

She scrolled through the text messages Laura had sent her during the day and sighed, gesturing for the bartender to pour her another. Carmilla had typed out and erased countless replies to the blonde’s messages, working her way through a couple more shots and finally asking the man to leave the bottle which had maybe 2 more ounces left at the bottom.

The music pushed into the background to the demons racing thoughts and she didn’t even notice the happy go lucky aura that was Lafontaine until they sat down next to her.

“Tough day?” they asked, prompting the demon to look up at their smiling yet still concerned face.

“What gave you that idea?” she replied sarcastically, straightening herself in the seat and going to tip back the shot glass in front of her until she realized that it was in fact empty.

“Well, I saw you sitting alone at a bar about two doors down from where you work with your head down, then I saw the empty bottle of Jack the bartender seemed to have left for you, and I put two and two together.” their sarcastic reply managed to come out jovially so Carmilla figured she wouldn’t cut off the conversation just yet.

“Well congratulations Sherlock, you managed to guess correctly.”

Lafontaine waved the bartender over and motioned to Carmilla’s empty glass, “Another drink for her and a Three Wise Men for me, both on my tab please.” As the bartender turned to make the drinks, Laf turned in their chair, “So tell me about what’s bothering you.”

The demon snorted at the suggestion, “Tell you? Isn’t there some unspoken rule about telling your boss about your personal life?”

“I’m sure there is,” they replied somewhat thoughtfully, “But I’m not your boss.”

Carmilla’s eyebrow rose, “You’re not? Then why have I been listening to you tell me what to do for the past couple of weeks?”

“Oh, then I’m your boss. But right now?” they gestured to their chest where their name tag usually was, “right now I’m off the clock and I’m just me, no managerial duties or guests to placate. And the bonus is I am Laura’s good friend and chances are I can help you with your problem.”

“What makes you think my ‘problem’ has to do with Laura?” the demon countered, shooting back the shot of Jack Daniels the bartender had just sat before her and motioning for him to refill it.

The bartender glanced at Laf who nodded and said “Leave the bottle, put it on my tab.”

He shrugged and walked away, tending to the other people sitting and standing around the bar. The demon was thankful the place was so crowded so no one was paying attention to their conversation.

“Come on, I’m not stupid. I know you took Laura out last night and you came in this morning with a stick up your butt and Laura has been dodging my questions all day, so spill.”

The demon looked at the red head sitting next to her before throwing back the shot in front of her.

“And what is it exactly I’m supposed to be ‘spilling’?” she remarked snidely, “Do you think we are friends or something? That I’m just going to tell you my innermost thoughts and feelings because you bought me a drink?”

Lafontaine seemed undeterred by the brunette’s bad mood, “Not at all. We barely know each other and I know that. I just got the feeling that I might be able to help you with whatever problem you have.”

“Think again tiny, I am not one to open up and share my feelings.” Carmilla mocked.

The fog in Carmilla’s head was getting a bit thicker and as she went to take another shot, she almost threw the liquid onto her shirt instead of into her mouth. It felt like the world was moving slowly and it seemed hard to focus on more than one simple idea at a time.

“Ok so how about this. You don’t have to tell me anything but I am more observant than anyone ever gives me credit for,” Lafontaine sipped on their drink before continuing, “So let me take a shot at this.”

“Shot at,” Carmilla covered a hiccup, “shot at what?”

“I think I have a pretty good idea of what went wrong with you two last night.”

The demon’s interest was piqued so she shrugged and took another shot, “Well if you think you know, go ahead. It will be entertaining at least.”

“Laura was having a great time up to a point when she shut down and became distant, the same point you thought things were going perfectly. Am I right?” Lafontaine smiled as Carmilla’s jaw almost dropped for a moment before she regained her composure.

“And why do you think this?” Carmilla put on an unaffected façade and examined her nails, doing her best to seem like she wasn’t as interested in their answer as she was.

“Because I know Laura. Not only that but I know why she did it too.”

“Oh really? By all means, inform me then.” The demon couldn’t believe that this person had hit the nail on the head so far.

“It’s simple really. You are obviously the kind of girl who isn’t used to be turned down, you know how to get any girl you have ever wanted. But the things that work on every other woman are not having the desired effect on Laura, am I right?” At the demon’s lack of response, they continued with a smirk, “That’s what I thought. Your problem is that you believe that Laura is like any other person you have ever met. You think that you can get close to her by impressing her again and again, but that’s not how it works.” Laf’s expression turned serious and they looked Carmilla dead in the eyes and said, “You have already impressed Laura, you have her attention. Now to keep her attention you have to stop showing off and just be yourself.”

_Shit…_

Carmilla reached out for the bottle and poured herself another thumb of the amber liquid as her companion checked their phone and typed out a quick message, the seriousness gone from their demeanor.

“You make it sound so easy…” the demon muttered under her breath.

“It is that easy…”

“Not for someone like me.” Carmilla interrupted, self-disgust in her voice. “It is impossible for someone like me to…”

“Hey there dear, sorry I got out late there was a…what’s she doing here?” the uppity voice of Perry made the demon wince.

_Who invited the angel? And how did I not notice her aura at all?_

“Hey Perr! I was just saw Carmilla waiting here and we were talking until you got out.”

Perry gave Carmilla a withering look and the brunette tried and failed to return a threatening expression. She began to reach for the bottle to pour herself another shot but Lafontaine’s hand stopped her.

“No you don’t, you have had more than enough. Do you have a ride home?” Lafontaine asked concerned.

The demon had to put all of her thought into that question before she answered, “No, I’m ok to drive. I just… need to find my keys…” She patted her pockets and finally found the keychain, holding it up for her off duty boss to see.

Immediately Lafontaine grabbed the keys from her fingers, “That’s what I figured. You are absolutely not driving after you have been drinking. Is there anyone who can pick you up?”

“Pick me up?” For some reason this entire conversation was confusing the demon who was still thrown off by the look Perry was continuing to giving her.

“Ugh, it is okay to ask for help sometimes. Don’t think that you can do everything by yourself because that is a fatal flaw.” Lafontaine rolled their eyes and picked up their phone.

“What’re you doing?” Carmilla slurred, still wondering why the curly haired angel was giving her such a confused look, or maybe it was concerned. The demon was having trouble thinking.

“I texted Laura earlier so I was just texting her again because she is coming to pick you up since Perry and I have plans.” they explained.

“Oh, ok then.” Carmilla’s head was foggy and she couldn’t seem to hold onto one line of thought for more than a couple seconds.

_I feel like I should be having a problem with Laura coming to pick me up… but why is that a problem again?_

Her attention span was cut even further when she felt the bubbly personality of Laura outside the bar. The demon’s head popped up and she followed the aura around the building to the boardwalk until she could finally see her little blonde crush.

Once again the demon’s heart beat skyrocketed and her mouth went dry.

_Be myself? I got this. How hard could that possibly be?_

-Laura-

The first thing she saw was Perry standing by the bar next to Lafontaine, her expression one of relief.  Her eyes quickly found Carmilla’s after brushing over the other two and it was immediately obvious that the brunette was drunk. Laura walked over to the bar and greeted her friends but her gaze never left Carmilla’s.

“Hey sorry, I got here as fast as I could but I had to walk.”

“It’s fine, here,” They held out the keys they had snatched from the inebriated Carmilla, “Take these and are you sure you will be alright driving her home?”

“Of course, I wasn’t doing anything tonight anyway.” She smiled at her friend before making a shooing motion with her hands. “You two get out of here, I’ve got her. Go have fun and I will text you when I get both of us home safely ok?”

“Thanks Laura! I owe you one!” They threw a couple bills on the bar top and made sure the bartender saw the money before turning to Perry. “Oh, and Carmilla?”

The very intoxicated bartender turned when she heard her name, nearly falling off the barstool in the process.

“Just because things have always been one way doesn’t mean they always will be. Every so called absolute in existence just hasn’t met the person who will prove it wrong. And yes, that even applies to ‘someone like you’.” With that, Lafontaine turned back to Perry, “Ok let’s get out of here.”

The woman gave Laura another relieved look before following Lafontaine out onto the boardwalk and into the crowd. Then Laura turned to Carmilla and let out a sigh.

“Did you two have a heart to heart?” the blonde asked, knowing Laf well enough to know they usually brought out their deep life lessons when having a serious conversation.

“Heart to heart?” Carmilla slurred, doing her best to seem sober, “Sundance, you need to have a heart in the first place to have…one of those”

“What am I going to do with you?” she asked rhetorically, shaking her head.

“I dunno,” the brunette slurred, “you could always just give me my keys and let me go on my way.”

Laura let out a humorless laugh at the suggestion. “There is no way in hell or Hogwarts you are getting behind the wheel of a car when you are drunk like this.”

“Oh come on,” the inebriated bartender whined, “I don’t get drunk.”

“No? How many drinks have you had tonight?” the blonde asked sarcastically.

Carmilla opened her mouth but then shut it slowly, “I’m not sure…”

She looked concerned that she couldn’t answer Laura’s question, as if she had never been drunk before which the blonde wouldn’t believe for a second.

“Ok then Miss I Swear I’m Not Drunk, let’s get you home.” Laura took hold of Carmilla’s upper arm and helped her stand, catching the bartender’s eye, “How much does she owe?”

“Nothing, your red headed friend took care of both of their bills” he grumbled, unhappy for some reason unknown to the two women.

“Ok then, let’s go.” She let Carmilla lean on her as they walked out of the bar and down the boardwalk ramp to get to the road where the jeep was parked.

Laura helped the wobbly woman into the passenger seat and buckled her in for good measure since she would not let anyone as drunk as Carmilla ride in a car with no doors and nothing to hold her in. She ignored the brunette’s protests and walked around the car, getting in and putting on her seatbelt before starting the car.

Laura paused and turned to Carmilla who was staring at her as if she was the most interesting thing in the world, “So uh, where is your house again?”

The brunette hiccupped and then her expression turned serious before she laughed and said, “I have no idea.”

“How is that funny?” Laura asked exasperated.

“Because your face buttercup, it’s priceless!” She giggled before leaning out her door as far as she could and began dry heaving.

“Ok hold on, hold on. I am taking you to my house,” the blonde said hurriedly as she backed the large jeep out carefully and began the short drive to her home.

About a block into their three block drive, the brunette made another lurch for the door less frame and Laura had to grab her arm to keep her in the vehicle. Finally pulling into her driveway beside her dad’s SUV, she turned the car off and pocketed the keys before jumping out and running to Carmilla’s side, taking her seatbelt off just in time for the drunk bartender the stumble out of the car and onto her knees, retching. Laura wanted to turn away from that sight but instead knelt down and gathered the woman’s dark locks away from her face. The blonde then began rubbing her back as she heaved again and again, making soothing noises hoping to ease the discomfort she was sure Carmilla was in.

_Well crap, this isn’t good._

The blonde reached into her pocket and pressed speed dial, her father always having the first slot.

He picked up after one ring and before he could say anything Laura interrupted him, “Hey dad, I’m in the driveway with Carmilla. She has had a lot to drink and I don’t know how much but she is throwing up.”

“Ok, I will be right there,” he said before the line went dead.

Barely ten seconds later the front door opened and out came her dad in his EMT uniform, rushing to her side and taking in the situation.

“Honey, are you alright?” He took over rubbing her back as Laura stood up to give him room, “Can you understand me?”

He brunette nodded weakly in between heaves and he looked pleased, “How much did you have to drink?”

“I don’t know,” she responded in a small voice.

“Laura,” he addressed her while keeping his eyes on Carmilla, “She doesn’t seem to have alcohol poisoning so I don’t think we need to take her to the hospital or anything.”

Before she could move, the brunette’s head whipped up and she yelled, “No! No hospital! I’m fine, see?”

She tried to get up but stumbled, Mr. Hollis catching her before she could hit the ground.

“Honey, it’s alright. I said you don’t need the hospital, no hospital.” He tried to reason with her to no avail.

“No, no hospital please.” This time Carmilla pleaded with the off duty EMT, looking him in the eyes to get her point across.

He held her gaze for a moment before sighing, “Laura? Run in and get me a bucket or a big bowl, a big glass of room temperature water, and a cold compress for her forehead. I will meet you in the living room.”

Laura was off in a moment and by the time she gathered everything and went to the living room her father had carried Carmilla in and had laid her out on the couch.

“Honey? Take her shoes off and grab a blanket to put on her,” he gave the orders as he rolled his sleeves up and took the cold compress to lay it on her forehead.

Laura did what he said and by the time she was done Carmilla had some of her color back and was trying to sit up.

“No you don’t, you need to sleep this off. You aren’t going anywhere,” he said. Gently yet sternly, he pushed Carmilla slowly back onto the couch.

“I’m fine I promise.” She groaned, convincing a total of no one.

“I’m sure you will be, you don’t show signs of having consumed a harmful amount of alcohol but you need to sleep this off. Laura, I need to go to work. Make sure she doesn’t go anywhere and get her to drink as much water as she can. You got that?” he asked already knowing the answer.

“Yeah Dad, thank you.” She smiled at him letting him know they would be fine.

“And Laura? I’m proud of you. I know you went out to pick her up so she wouldn’t drive like this. Lafontaine texted me to make sure you got here alright.”

Laura held her father’s gaze, a silent conversation that they had with a simple look. She nodded and tried to blink back tears, smiling to cover up the emotion that made her choke up.

“Ok, I don’t want you to be late for work. I will call you if we need anything.” She shooed him out of the door for his night shift. “Be safe, ok? I love you.”

“I love you too buddy.” He reached to ruffle her hair but she ducked under his hand, a dance they had perfected since she had turned 13 and stopped ‘being a kid’.

Laura stuck her tongue out at her father and he did the same, both of them giggling at their little routine before he turned and walked to his truck, turning it on and backing out before honking and driving away.

The blonde gave a deep sigh before returning to the house, locking the door and turning off the porch light since her dad wouldn’t be home until the morning. Upon returning to the living room, Laura found Carmilla sitting up and trying to pull her shoes on.

“And just what do you think you are doing?” Laura asked with a raised eyebrow.

“What does it look like cupcake? I’m going home,” she replied as she looked around for her other shoe which was actually in her hand.

“In your dreams Karnstein, you aren’t going anywhere.” Laura stepped forward until she was right next to the brunette and pushed her shoulder to get her to lie down.

Unfortunately Carmilla was much stronger than she looked, much to Laura’s chagrin.

“I hate to break it to you, but you are going to have to get through me if you want to leave.” The little blonde squared her shoulders and put her hands on her hips doing her best to appear intimidating.

Carmilla, with one shoe on and trying her best to seem sober, showed Laura an amused face and tried to stand but couldn’t keep her balance and ended up back on the couch.

“I guess I can stay for a while...” the brunette conceded, trying to save face and make it seem like it was her idea.

Laura couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous Carmilla was when she was drunk, and had to admit that the seductress who didn’t know up from down in front of her was kind of adorable too.

She let out a sigh and said, “Ok Carm, I would leave you on the couch but I don’t want to sleep on the floor. So I’m going to help you up to my room and we can both share my bed.”

“I have to walk?” the brunette whined which made Laura let out a snort of laughter.

“Come on.” The blonde reached down to take a hold of her arm, “I will help you. Let’s go.”

Carmilla groaned when Laura lifted her and helped her stand. She let the brunette lean on her as she picked up the bowl and the cold compress before beginning to shuffle into the hallway and to the stairs.

“Wait, stay right here,” the blonde said leaning Carmilla against the wall to hold herself up, “I need to grab the water and then I will help you up the stairs ok? Stay right here.”

She ran back into the living room and grabbed the cup before turning around and quickly heading back to the base of the stairs. She nearly dropped everything when she saw the woman shakily trying to ascend the stairs. Laura rushed forward and squeaked, “Carmilla! I told you to wait for me!”

The brunette simply laughed before teetering off balance. The tiny blonde’s hands reached her back the moment Carmilla began tipping backwards.

“Huh, this feels weird,” she giggled, all of her weight being held up by Laura.

To Laura’s astonishment the brunette began climbing the stairs while basically horizontal. To anyone watching it would look like Carmilla was walking up the side of a mountain except instead of a carabiner and ropes, she was being held up by Laura.

“You cannot be serious,” she groaned under her breath as she struggled to climb the stairs while supporting Carmilla as well as holding a bucket, a wet washcloth, and a fairly full cup of water. Carmilla’s answer was simply another laugh and to keep going.

Finally reaching the top of the stairs, Carmilla pushed off of Laura’s supporting hand (nearly sending Laura down the stairs in the process) and stood up, looking back to make sure Laura was still there.

“What’s taking you so long? Come on, which one is your room again?” the brunette asked.

“Carm, you were literally just here last night. First door on the right.”

The woman was already shuffling down the hallway, keeping herself steady against the wall when Laura reached the last stair.

_Well, this is definitely another side to her._

Carmilla disappeared into the room followed closely by Laura who paused to flip the switch, enveloping the room in light. The brunette recoiled like a vampire exposed to sunlight, blinking her eyes as if electricity was a new concept to her.

“It’s okay Dracula, the light won’t burn you,” Laura joked as she set down the items she held, “here, sit down and I will find some clothes for you to wear to bed.”

Carmilla did as she was told and watched as Laura opened a drawer near the bottom of her dresser and pulled out a pair of running shorts and a t-shirt. The blonde tossed them onto the bed, any hope that Carmilla could dress herself out the window when she saw her head sagging onto her shoulder.

“Ok, stand up. Come on I will help you change.” Laura said, sounding more sure of herself than she actually was.

Carmilla did as she was told, getting to her feet barely able to keep balanced and held both of her arms out. Laura could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks as she pulled off the brunette’s shirt, using every single ounce of her willpower to keep from ogling the absolutely flawless body now only covered by a lacy black bra on her upper half. Laura’s mouth went completely dry at the same time Carmilla’s face morphed into a shit eating grin.

“See something you like creampuff?” she joked, her voice deep and husky that affected Laura deep down in her stomach.

She was positive her face was bright red when she tossed the shirt onto her desk chair and snatched the Doctor Who t-shirt off the bed. Laura helped Carmilla into the shirt as quickly as possible, recounting the ABC’s backwards.

“Ok, do you think you can take off your pants by yourself?” Laura’s voice was a squeak as she kept her eyes on Carmilla’s face.

The second the brunette looked down she lost her balance and reached out to grab Laura’s outstretched hand.

“I guess that’s a no,” Laura groaned, wondering what she could have possibly done for God to punish her like this. “Hold onto my shoulders.”

The brunette complied and when she was steady, Laura reached out as gently as possible and unbuttoned her jeans and taking down the zipper. She could see that the woman’s shit eating grin had gotten even bigger (if that were even possible) as she threaded her fingers into the belt loops of the jeans and pulled down.

_Aaaaaaaand she is wearing matching black lace underwear. Of course she is…_

“Ok, sit down. You can pull those off yourself.” Laura averted her eyes and tried to take deep breaths, glad that the woman was drunk and hopefully wouldn’t remember this in the morning, “You can put the shorts on, I am going to change in the bathroom.”

With that, Laura reached back into the drawer, grabbed some clothes, and rushed out before the bartender could get a better look at how she was affected. She shut the door to the bathroom and turned on the faucet, splashing her face with cold water to distract herself from the very noticeable feeling coming from between her legs. She looked up into the mirror at the dripping face staring back at her, taking a deep breath to pull herself together.

_Come on Hollis, don’t fall apart. It’s just an amazingly beautiful drunk woman in your bed. No reason to freak out. You got this._

A chuckle escaped her lips when she realized how she must look, if anyone was seeing her right now they would think she was crazy.

Regaining her control, Laura brushed her teeth and changed into her pajamas before taking another glance in the mirror. She winced when she remembered that she hadn’t texted Lafontaine yet that they had gotten home safely.

Laura (11:53 pm): _Hey Laf, I’m so sorry I forgot to tell you we are both safe. Carmilla got sick and my dad took care of her and she is staying at my house tonight._

Lafontaine (11:55 pm): _That’s fine, your dad texted me after he left. Thanks again for taking care of her!_

She smiled at their positivity, so thankful she had this person in her life. Returning her phone to her pocket, Laura wet the washcloth with cold water again before returning to her room. In her bed she found Carmilla curled up like a cat near the wall.

“Hey there Carm, how are you feeling?” she asked gently, sitting down on the edge of the bed and laying the compress across her forehead.

Upon hearing the blonde speak, the brunette’s eyes opened and landed on her, a smile appearing on her face.

“What?” Laura asked, concerned her charge may be delirious.

“No one has ever called me ‘Carm’ before,” she explained, looking more relaxed, even peaceful, than Laura had ever seen her.

“Do you not like it? I can use your full name if you want, I was just…”

“Cupcake stop. I like it.” She smiled again, “I only meant no one has known me well enough to use a nickname.”

“Oh,” Laura said blankly, unsure of how to respond to that.

“I do need to warn you, if you tell anyone I let you call me that I will deny it,” she said as she cracked a grin. Laura returned the smile, though not as genuinely as she thought because Carmilla’s face fell into a concerned expression, “What’s wrong creampuff?”

The blonde paused, deciding whether or not to answer that truthfully.

“Did I do something to offend you last night? Did you not have fun? I mean, I understand if you didn’t because…”

“Woah there Creampuff, where did you get that idea?” Her face was now in a frown as she struggled to sit up.

Laura helped her to sit and gave her the cup of water, telling her with her eyes to drink which Carmilla did.

“Well, I texted you a bunch of times today and you never answered once and then I get a text from Lafontaine that you were at the bar and you were drunk and needed a ride. And you have been trying to get away from me all night since Laf and Perry left so I figured I must have done something wrong.”

Laura’s rambling was cut short when Carmilla’s hand shakily reached over and tried to cup her cheek, taking a few tries before finally landing where it was meant to. The blonde looked up into the deep, chocolate brown eyes that were trained on her.

“Laura, that wasn’t you. That was me.” The admission was apparently hard for the brunette to say because she broke their eye contact in favor of looking down, her hand falling as well, “There is a lot about me you don’t know and I am not going to bore you with the story. But please understand that it wasn’t because of you that I didn’t respond, ok?”

Finishing her explanation, Carmilla’s eyes flicked back to Laura’s and held them. Her fallen hand returning to the blonde’s face, thumb lightly brushing a few stray hairs out of her eyes.

Laura tried to swallow the emotion that was choking her up and nodded, looking down before back to Carmilla’s eyes.

“Ok,” she managed to choke out. “But let’s get you to bed. Come on, lay back.”

Carmilla held Laura’s gaze for a couple more moments before doing as she was told, Laura covering her with a blanket and standing to turn off the lights. She cracked the door to let in a sliver of light from the hallway before making her way back to the bed and climbing in next to her guest.

By the time she had settled in, Laura heard little snores coming from the brunette which pulled her mouth up in a smile.

_Ok, so all your worrying earlier might have been unfounded. Looks like there is more to Carmilla Karnstein than you had thought._

The light snores from the other side of the bed were still going strong when Laura snuggled under her blankets and drifted off, feeling more comfortable than she had in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please please please please do not drink and drive. Nothing good can come from it, so if you drink please do so responsibly and have a designated driver.  
> **Follow me on tumblr, my inbox is always open! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/butiwilllove


	6. The Shameover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Carmilla takes Lafontaine's advice and we get some long awaited Hollstein fluff. Oh, and some plot development... but let's be honest, we are all here for the fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING:  
> aftermath of violence (blood) and (minor) character death

-Carmilla-

A shrill yelp pierced her head and jolted her awake. Carmilla grumbled and moved an inch before she realized that moving was probably one of the worst ideas she’d ever had. Every single fiber of her being was in pain and the constant dull thudding in her head was made worse by another cry from whoever was lying next to her. She hoped that whoever was making these sounds had made their peace with God because she was going to kill them.

“Carmilla! Wake up! We are so late for work!” came the only voice that would put her in a good mood after being waken this way before it made her freeze.

_Oh shit. Shitshitshit._

“Carmilla come on! We were both supposed to open and it’s past noon!” the overwhelming panic in her voice was what finally had the demon opening her eyes which was the second worst idea she’d ever had.

The sunlight simultaneously blinded her and made her headache go from dull thudding to sharp pain.

She shouldn’t have opened her eyes, now she couldn’t convince herself that this was all just a dream and she hadn’t woken up in Laura Hollis’ bed.

“Laura, please calm down,” Carmilla moaned, her voice gravelly from sleep as she fought to maintain her calm façade. The little blonde at least stopped moving so she continued, “Now what is the problem?”

“We were both supposed to open today and it’s nearly 12:15!” Laura squealed getting herself excited again as she jumped up and began frantically digging through drawers.

“Creampuff, relax. Please,” the demon was pleading now as she tried to sit up without opening her eyes, “Listening to you worrying is making me nauseous. Just text Lafontaine and tell them it was my fault, I don’t care if I’m written up.”

Carmilla opened one eye just a crack and saw Laura was listening to her, sitting on the bed and reaching for her cell phone. The brunette let out a sigh of relief at the same time that Laura said “Oh!”

“Oh? What is it?” the brunette was trying to take stock of her body and wondered if she was dying, this was something she had never felt and was probably the second worst she had ever felt.

_Serves me right. What the hell happened last night? Why am I in Laura’s bed? Dear God, have mercy on me. Please don’t let me have done anything to mess this up._

“Oh good,” Laura let out another sigh, “Lafontaine texted me and says we can both have the day off.”

“They said what?” She asked surprised and more than a little suspicious.

“Here, look” the tiny phone was pushing into her palm.

Carmilla had to take a moment before opening one eye at a time, slowly focusing on the little screen that was opened to a text message.

Lafontaine (7:15 am): _Hey, thanks again for the help last night. Based on the amount of alcohol I watched her consume I am pretty confident Carmilla won’t be able to think let alone work so tell her she doesn’t need to come in. Oh, and you don’t need to come in either, just a thanks for your help last night. Hope you enjoy your impromptu day off!_

She had to read the text at least three times before she understood what it was saying.

“Oh thank God! I think I might be dying…” Carmilla groaned as she dropped the phone to free her hands in order to use them to bury her face in.

“Well yeah,” Laura giggled, no longer in a frenzy thinking she was late for work, “You were pretty smashed last night. I’m surprised you can even talk this morning.”

“Huh?” Carmilla picked her face up to look at Laura.

Despite the pain, the demon couldn’t help but smile at how cute she looked. Laura’s hair was everywhere and her eyes were partially glued shut with those crusty eye sleepies. The blonde was rubbing at the crust to free her eyes and Carmilla took the moment to take in the rest of her. She was wearing red plaid pajama pants and a white tank top that had cartoon characters on the chest.

“You had too much to drink last night,” she accentuated each word, “you have a hangover.”

Carmilla would have laughed at the idea if it wouldn’t hurt.

_Hangover? Me? Yeah, ok…_

“A hangover? I don’t get drunk.” she claimed with confidence, but that was short lived since as soon as the words were out of her mouth, Laura was laughing.

“Oh really?” the blonde asked as soon as she caught her breath, “You don’t get drunk do you? So what exactly do you think happened last night? Why do you think you slept here?”

The demon opened her mouth but realized she had no answer.

“I was drunk?” she asked disbelieving.

“Yes oh tipsy one, you were drunk last night. You were at the bar with Laf who texted me to come pick you up since they were doing something with Perry.” Laura supplied with a smile, “Did you black out?”

Carmilla didn’t know what to say so she just nodded. “Did we, you know…?” She asked awkwardly, scared that she might have done something to mess up with Laura.

“What? No! No, nothing happened,” Laura backpedaled and blushed, “Well, nothing like what you are thinking. I came and picked you up and you couldn’t give me directions to your house so I brought you here just in time for you to throw up what seemed like all of your internal organs in my driveway which I have to clean up now that I think about it,” the blonde groaned before continuing, “But my dad was about to leave for work so he helped get you inside before he left. After that there wasn’t much else.”

Carmilla was still in disbelief, staring at her hands as if they weren’t hers.

_I was drunk? But that’s impossible… It’s only a myth that we can get drunk._

Seeing Carmilla lost in thought, Laura slowly stood up, “Carm? I’m going to go wash the driveway off ok? Why don’t you drink some more water and take a shower. The bathroom is across the hall and there are towels under the sink.”

Carmilla blinked up at Laura and nodded which seemed to be what the blonde was looking for to head downstairs.

The brunette felt like she was on autopilot as she drank the water on the nightstand and painfully stood to go into the bathroom. Standing was another bad idea since her feet hitting the floor caused her head to spin. The demon was excessively glad no one was here to see her pathetically holding onto the wall to be able to walk. She reached the bathroom and stood there for a moment before remembering what she was supposed to be doing.

Carmilla grabbed a towel from under the sink and turned the shower on as hot as it would go. Steam filled the bathroom and clouded the mirror as she stripped her clothes off and stepped into the scalding stream of water.

_There has to be some mistake. I could not have been drunk._

_But you don’t even remember how much you had to drink…_

_Doesn’t matter. I’ve drunk nothing but alcohol for two days straight and still haven’t felt even slightly muddled._

_Well maybe you didn’t realize how much you were drinking? The other times were over days instead of hours._

_Maybe, but still…_

_Still what?_

_No angel, fallen or not, has ever felt the effects of alcohol._

_Well, someone has had to. Where else could the rumors have come from?_

_Good point. I just wish I could remember what happened._

_What’s the worst that could have happened? It was only one night…_

_I don’t know, but Laura definitely left something out. She felt guilty when she said that was all that happened._

_Ok well we have time to worry about that later, for now just…_

Her inner dialogue was cut short by a wrap on the door.

“Carm? Are you alright? You’ve been in there for quite a while.” Laura’s voice drifted through the door accompanied by worry the demon could feel.

She turned the shower off, realizing she had lost track of time and her skin was tingling and bright red from the heat of the shower.

“Sorry, yeah I’m fine. I will be out in a moment!” She called, opening the shower curtain and drying herself with the towel. “Uh, Laura?” she added when she realized, “I don’t have any other clothes to wear…”

“That’s fine! You can use some of mine until we get you back home!”

Letting out a sigh of relief, Carmilla wrapped the towel around her body and grabbed the clothes she had on before walking back into Laura’s room. The demon was glad to notice that the water she had guzzled before the shower already had her feeling much better. She came into the doorway with Laura laying out clothes on her bed. As soon as the blonde noticed Carmilla, she looked up and the brunette had to physically keep herself from laughing. Laura’s face turned bright red and her jaw dropped. The immediate desire that wound its way into her aura just made it even funnier.

The demon’s first thought was to use this, the little server’s lust was obvious and she had the perfect opportunity to seduce the tiny blonde. She almost did, but stopped herself when she remembered how well her seduction tactics had worked so far. For the first time in history, Carmilla didn’t try to seduce the cute girl in front of her (who was so obviously interested it was almost painful to pass up the opportunity) and instead smiled at her with no ulterior motive.

“Thank you. I appreciate this and well, everything else you have done for me really…”

Laura’s smile was instant and sincere, relief entwining itself into her aura and dispersing the lust that had been so prominent only moments before.

“Of course, I was glad to help.”

Carmilla was falling in love with the smile on Laura’s face, it was so bright and innocent, but the best part was the way it made her eyes crinkle up in the corners. Every time she even thought about Laura, the bartender’s heart would go crazy and she was sure even a human could see how affected she was.

“Here, I laid some clothes out for you. I expect you wear bigger sizes than I do since you are taller and more…. Uh…” her face turned an adorable shade of pink as she gestured awkwardly to her chest and avoided Carmilla’s eyes, “So yeah, I just gave you some sweats and comfy clothes. And well I don’t want you using the same underwear so here; I gave you some shorts you can put on under the sweats…”

“Cupcake, it’s perfect,” she interrupted, taking pity on her since if her cheeks became any more red she would fear for the blonde’s health, “Thank you. Go ahead, the shower is free.”

The relieved look on Laura’s face was just so cute Carmilla was unable to even have a coherent thought until the blonde ducked around her with a smile and was already halfway in the bathroom.

“Oh, Laura?” Carmilla called when she remembered, “I might have used most of the hot water, I’m sorry…”

“That’s ok! There are worse things than a cold shower!” was the blonde’s reply.

Carmilla couldn’t help but smile again at the contagious peppiness the server had. Shaking her head, the demon closed the door and got dressed in the clothes that were laid on the bed. She stopped and sat down, reveling in not only the feeling of warm clothes but also the way that she could smell Laura on everything she was wearing. It was the most comfortable Carmilla had ever felt. She could still hear the shower running and could feel an interesting twinge in Laura’s aura, but there wasn’t anything menacing about it so the demon simply ran a comb through her hair and cuddled back up on the bed, immersing herself in the smell of Laura that she had grown to love.

The water shut off and Carmilla could hear the sound of the curtain drawing back and the thump that was Laura stepping out of the shower. After a couple minutes she heard the door open and footsteps before Laura appeared in the doorway. She was dressed in sweat pants and a small tank top with more of those cartoon characters on the chest.

“What are those things?” the demon asked before Laura could say anything.

“What things?” the blonde replied, confused.

“The things on your shirt, they were on the shirt you wore to bed too.” She gestured to Laura’s chest.

The blonde looked down which made her towel hat fall over, she righted it on her head before answering, “Oh, it’s just Mario and Luigi and the gang.”

At Carmilla’s blank expression, Laura raised an eyebrow, “You know, Mario and Luigi? Princess Peach? Toad?” With each name and the subsequent lack of reaction, Laura’s voice grew more surprised and went up in pitch until it was barely a squeak, “Mario Kart?”

Carmilla slowly shook her head side to side indicating she had no idea what any of that meant.

“Oh. My. God. Can I have the address to the rock you’ve been living under?”

Carmilla opened her mouth to answer but Laura cut her off, “That wasn’t a real question. Cancel any plans you had for today because I am going to teach you how to play Mario Kart. I hope you like video games!”

-Laura-

“FUCK YOU PEACH! WHO THE HELL TAUGHT YOU HOW TO DRIVE?”

_Well, this was a success…_

Laura’s face hurt from laughing so hard. It was now a good way into the afternoon and about three hours since Laura had found out that Carmilla had never heard of Mario Kart. This was sacrilege to her ears, so the only choice she had was to introduce this poor woman to the childhood that she so obviously never had.

It was the best thing Laura had ever done.

“WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GET YOUR DRIVER’S LICENSE? A GOD DAMN CRACKERJACK BOX???”

Carmilla had quite the competitive side that was equally funny as it was filled with expletives. Once she had gotten the hang of the game, the brunette had pulled no punches.

The best part was the first time she had been hit with the lightning. As the brunette’s character spun out and shrunk, at least 4 characters sped by her and the woman had let each of racers know what she thought of them in explicit detail.

Right now however they were both racing on Rainbow Road, thankfully they were playing on the Nintendo 64 and this course had walls to keep racers from falling off. Carmilla’s insults had slowly gotten louder and seemed to be mostly aimed at each character’s mother.

The race finally ended, neither girl finishing before 4th place. Because of this the game allowed them to redo the course. The opening scene played out, showing all of the racers at the starting line before counting down to the start.

The number one flashed and then the characters were off.

Laura was Toad, she always played Toad because she had noticed early on that the smaller the character, the faster they accelerated. Carmilla had chosen Bowser and ended up in the back of the pack every time the race began.

Somehow she had managed to maneuver into first place and was very excited about this fact. That is, until a blue shell came up behind her character and made a direct hit. Racers sped by her, Mario and Luigi now battling for first place.

“FUCKING PLUMBERS! GO UNCLOG SOME FUCKING DRAINS LIKE YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO!” she yelled at the screen, flinging her hands up and making Laura giggle.

They were on the second lap and going into the third when Laura began making her way past the characters and was now battling for first place with Mario and Carmilla not far behind. She knew it was cheating, but she glanced over at Carmilla’s half of the screen and saw the brunette had a lightning bolt in her arsenal.

_Well poop, she uses that and I could be out of the running for first!_

But seconds went by and the lightning bolt stayed in the upper right hand corner of Carmilla’s screen.

_Why isn’t she using that? She could win easily…_

Laura got her answer when she went through a row of rainbow boxes and a super star appeared in her upper right hand corner. She practically jumped as she activated the star which not only made her go faster but also made her invincible to anything any of the other players threw her way.

As soon as she activated her star power, Carmilla threw the lightning bolt which struck Mario and knocked him out of the race for first place but left Toad without a scratch.

_Did she just… she did! She waited until I wouldn’t be hit to use that!_

Toad crossed the finish line and a giant 1st! appeared on Laura’s side of the screen, a large 2nd! came up on Carmilla’s side a couple seconds later.

“I won!” Laura cried out, raising her hands above her head in triumph and wrapped her arms around Carmilla who was smiling and laughing at Laura’s reaction.

With her arms around Carmilla, Laura leaned her head back and gave the brunette a peck on the cheek. Her eyes widened comically as she looked at the blonde who was still holding her in the embrace.

“I saw you hold that thunder bolt for me,” she whispered in the stunned bartender’s ear, “Thank you.”

Laura pulled away and went to turn the console off which interrupted the celebration scene where the winner was crowned. She smiled when she saw Carmilla raise a hand slowly to her cheek where the blonde’s lips had been moments earlier and gave a cute smile she thought Laura hadn’t seen.

Butterflies erupted in the server’s stomach and she felt her cheeks turn pink as she wound the wires up and stowed the console away.

Then she glanced at the clock and her stomach dropped.

“Hold on,” she sat back suddenly serious , “I didn’t even notice the time. My dad should have been home at least two hours ago.”

Her change in demeanor had Carmilla sitting up and giving her a worried look.

“I’m sure he is fine. Why don’t you call him and I can maybe start making dinner?”

Laura frowned, “You don’t need to make dinner, you are a guest…”

“Laura,” the woman cut her off, “I owe you for taking care of me last night. Plus you need to call your dad. Come on, let me make you two dinner.”

Carmilla was already standing and holding her hand out to help her up.

“Ok, that makes sense I guess.”

Both girls made their way upstairs from the basement where the home theater/game room of the Hollis residence was located. Carmilla made her way to the kitchen and began rummaging to see what they had for her to make dinner out of. Laura made her way into the living room, sitting on the couch and pressing the number one for speed dial.

Laura’s worry was getting worse when her dad didn’t answer his phone the three times she called him and his partner also didn’t answer his. She had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something wasn’t right.

The blonde joined her guest in the kitchen where she had laid out ingredients for what looked like grilled cheese.

“Carm, I can’t get a hold of my dad, I’m worried.”

The brunette walked over and put her arm around Laura, “I’m sure everything is alright. Come on, help me with these grilled cheese and let me know if there is anything I can add that the two of you like on your sandwiches.”

The distraction worked, both girls cooking and joking around. There were two food fights as they worked together, one of which resulted in a piece of cheese sticking to the ceiling and Laura being boosted by Carmilla to get it off.

They were about finished and in the middle of laughing at the piece of cheese that had gone unnoticed in Carmilla’s hair and was just found when the brunette’s face fell, taking Laura’s stomach with it.

“Carm? What’s wrong?” she asked slowly, scared of the answer with all of her earlier worry crashing back down on her.

That’s when she heard her father’s car in the driveway and his car door shutting. She was already making her way to the foyer when the front door opened and closed.

The silence scared Laura even more than not knowing where her father was. She stopped with Carmilla on her heels, the sound of slowly shuffling feet coming down the hallway had all of their attention.

Her fathers worn and weary form emerged from the hallway and plopped down on the first thing he could sit on which happened to be one of the chairs at the dining room table.

“Dad! Are you alright? What happened?” Laura cried running to her exhausted father’s side.

She knelt next to him and recoiled from the metallic smell of blood that had saturated the front of his uniform and the first six inches of his sleeves.

“Dad!” she was yelling now, frantic with fear, “Dad are you ok? Are you hurt?”

He looked up and gave his daughter a weary smile, “I’m fine.” Laura’s hands were everywhere checking to make sure he was telling the truth, blood from his uniform transferring onto her shaking hands. “Laura!” he raised his voice slightly to get her attention, gently grabbing her shoulders to stop her checking everywhere there was blood, “Laura, I’m not hurt. I promise.”

She felt her muscles sag in relief as they both embraced each other at the same time. Laura felt tears running down her face and soaking her dad’s already ruined uniform.

“Dang it dad! You scared me!” pulling away from his hug, she swatted his arm, “I have been worried sick! You are hours late and not only did you not call me but you didn’t answer any of my calls and I thought something had happened to you…”

“Laura, honey…” his tone immediately stopped her mid-sentence. He looked up at Carmilla and sighed, “You both need to sit down.”

“Dad, what do you…”

“Please Laura,” he pleaded with his daughter and both girls sat around the table, Carmilla curious and Laura covered in blood from her father’s uniform.

“Girls, I’m so sorry…” he trailed off, lost in thought for a moment, “Girls, I was late because we had a call. It was at The Fresh…”

Laura gasped audibly and Carmilla’s eyebrows shot up.

“Is it…” Laura began.

“No honey, Lafontaine and Kirsch are alright,” he answered before even having to hear the question.

Laura visibly relaxed a bit, but still completely attentive of what her father was saying.

“There was an incident…” he paused, searching for words to make this news any less hard for his daughter to hear, “Someone had too much to drink and there was a fight. They kicked him out but he came back… he had a gun.”

The usually calm and commanding man sitting in front of them choked up, his voice cracking as he finally got the words out, “It was one of the girls who worked in the kitchen. SJ I think her name is. We couldn’t save her.” With the words finally out, the man’s composure broke and he began crying.

Laura was up and holding her father as he wept into her shoulder, gasping for breath and saying over and over, “There was nothing we could do. There was nothing we could do.”

She knew how much it affected her father when there was someone he couldn’t save. It didn’t happen often thank God. He saw every call and every injured person as his own charge, someone he is to protect at all costs. Laura felt herself tearing up as well, holding her father as they both cried.

The blonde looked up, remembering that Carmilla was also there. The woman looked calm and cold, but emotions were swirling under the unaffected facade.

Laura knew that look; that was the look of someone who was doing everything they could to make sure no one knew what they were really feeling. She didn’t know why, but she had a nagging feeling that Carmilla knew more about this than she was letting on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the plot thickens!  
> **Follow me on tumblr, my inbox is always open! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/butiwilllove


	7. Christmas In July

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things go from good to bad in a single moment... but not before giving everyone what they have been waiting for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before we go any further, I would like to let anyone reading that Hollstein is going to go through quite a bit, but they will always be endgame. So fear not, no matter how hopeless the situation may seem, they will be together. I give you my word.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING:  
> vivid car crash

-Carmilla-

After the death of that girl from the kitchen, time felt warped. The restaurant was closed for a couple days after the incident and the town took on an odd feel. Apparently SJ had grown up here and everyone had known her and were all feeling the loss in their own ways.

Carmilla had stayed with Laura for a while after her father had given them the news before excusing herself to let them mourn. She had arrived home to a giddy Will who just couldn’t wait to tell her in detail about how he had been the one who had caused the commotion. He recounted how he had been on the beach when he had felt the man’s drunken aura and seeing the opportunity, had messed with his emotions and made him angry. From there he let the man go and it turned out he had a gun in his car which he grabbed and returned to the restaurant. SJ had been completely innocent, in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Will was practically giggling when he told Carmilla that he had manipulated the man’s emotions after he had gone back into the restaurant as well which is why the man hadn’t stepped down when police had arrived. Instead of surrendering to the officers, he tried to take out as many of his hostages as he could before the police could subdue him. The situation finally ended when, with no other options, one officer fatally shot the man.

From there, EMTs rushed into the building where five people had sustained gunshot wounds. All were saved except for the line cook who had been shot in the stomach and had been pronounced dead upon her arrival at the hospital.

This had all happened while she and Laura sat in a house mere blocks away, unknowing of the chaos going down at the restaurant they should have been in if they hadn’t overslept. Carmilla herself was surprised that she hadn’t heard the sirens when the hub of the commotions was only a couple blocks away. Maybe because they had been in the basement playing videogames?

In the days following the tragic accident, Carmilla had accompanied Laura to the girl’s funeral where nearly the entire town was in attendance. Along with blubbering Kirsch who the demon had forgotten was dating the deceased, almost the entire fresh staff had come to pay their respects.

After that, the days seemed to pass quickly. Carmilla and Will frequently drove out to Central where he had made quite an impact on the adolescents. Within two weeks, she was letting him go out by himself which gave the elder demon time to spend with Laura without prying eyes that could very easily let her off-hours activities be known to Mother. Explaining why she was spending so much time on one girl who hadn’t already met some kind of unfortunate accident or downward spiral in life wasn’t something Carmilla wanted to explain to her Mother, especially being on ‘probation’ as she was.

However things went smoothly for the demon, she became a regular to the Hollis home and had even gotten on good terms with Laura’s father. Since her little talk with Lafontaine that night, Carmilla had taken their advice and stopped trying to seduce the server into an intimate encounter every chance she got and she would never admit it but the little red head had been right.

The demon with demons of her own and the little blonde portable ray of sunshine had actually become good friends. She was dragged along to hang outs with Laura and her friends and Carmilla found that she was slowly coming to look forward to these times, even when it meant forced interaction with the angelic version of Clifford.

June came and went as the demon lost herself in the bustle of summer at the shore, bartending at The Fresh and spending any mutual time off with Laura. They went to the beach quite often and when she was off but Laura was working, Carmilla tried to make up as much chaos as she could to cover for all the time she was with the blonde instead of stirring up trouble.

It was already almost 3 weeks into July when Carmilla and Laura were laying on Laura’s bed after they had eaten dinner. Mr. Hollis had gone out the door to work the night shift and the girls had cleaned up the dishes, stopping so many times to splash water and throw soap suds at each other that Laura had banished the brunette from the kitchen so that she could actually finish the dishes. Now both girls were sprawled out on the bed, each reveling in the feeling of their full stomach and proximity of the other.

“So have you gotten your gift yet?” Laura rolled her head to look at Carmilla who was lying next to her with her hand resting on her stomach.

“And why exactly do I need to get a gift?” the demon grumbled her question and turned her head so that she was gazing into Laura’s eyes.

They were already lying pretty close together and the movement put their faces so close that their noses were practically touching. Carmilla’s heart sped up and she felt Laura’s do the same, each girl’s eyes glancing down to the lips of the other.

Laura’s tongue darted out to moisten her lips as she choked out her answer, “For… for Christmas in July… the party?”

“Christmas in July?” the brunette’s eyebrows went up as she tugged her eyes back up to get lost in the brown orbs staring back at her, “Last I checked, Christmas is in December Sundance.”

“Oh, it is but I’m talking about Christmas in July. You know, July 25th? Like halfway to Christmas?”

The side of Carmilla’s mouth quirked up, “Wouldn’t halfway to Christmas be June 25th though?”

“Well yeah, but…” Laura trailed off and her breathing deepened, “I didn’t make it up, it’s just a thing.” Unfortunately, Laura seemed to regain her common sense and moved back, sitting up to add to the room between them. “Anyway, it’s on Saturday and we always do something fun for Christmas in July. I can’t believe no one told you, this year we are all going up to the Recreation Station and we always do a gift exchange. So just buy something small because no one knows who will get the gift, usually five dollars is the limit.”

“What is a ‘Recreation Station’ and who all is going?” Carmilla had to hide her disappointment that this would be a group activity since that usually meant the holy duo would be there as well.

“The Recreation Station is this place that has all this stuff you can do. It has indoor soccer and games and all these other activities, but most importantly it has Laser Tag.” When she said the last one her eyes lit up and a smile broke out over her face before continuing, “And the usual people are coming I expect. Lafontaine, Kirsch, Perry, Danny, JP… and I think Kirsch invited Will. But there are probably more too.”

“Fantastic…” the demon mumbled under her breath before covering it up with, “Of course, that sounds like fun. But wait, what about that hurricane that’s supposed to be here this weekend?”

“Oh, we will be fine. It’s supposed to pass right by us, the most we will get is some rain.” The little blonde said matter-of-factly.

“If you say so Cutie,” the brunette responded, “But you have to tell me, what is Laser Tag?”

Laura’s eyes widened comically, “You don’t know what Laser Tag is?” When Carmilla shook her head she stuttered, “Wait, for real? Laser Tag… Laser Tag is… well it’s just amazing. You have two teams and everyone puts on a vest and run around in a dark room with all this stuff. Then you have laser guns that you try and shoot the other team with and if you hit them their vest will flash. Wow, I can’t believe you don’t know what Laser Tag is. I can’t wait to show you how much fun it is!”

The blonde’s energy was contagious to Carmilla who joked, “I see you are very passionate on the subject.”

“Well I mean, I haven’t played Laser Tag in years. Actually, the last time I played was…” Laura’s gaze went to the ceiling and she caught her bottom lip with her teeth as she mentally calculated, “It has to have been at least eight or ten years. Last time I was there was when I went with my…”

The light in her eyes went out and the blonde’s smile fell, the memories she had dug up taking her excitement and leaving her with a deep sadness that caught Carmilla unprepared.

“Hey Cupcake,” the demon sat up and rested her hand on Laura’s elbow which brought her gaze up, “Are you alright? What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh nothing, don’t worry about it. I’m fine, see?” the blonde plastered a very convincing smile on her face but Carmilla wasn’t fooled.

“Laura, talk to me. I’m your friend right?” When Laura nodded, she continued, “So talk to me. What’s wrong?”

The blonde’s gaze went straight down and she was exuding uncertainty and doubt.

“I mean, it really isn’t anything.” She began and Carmilla waited patiently, knowing that interrupting her would make her clam up. “It’s just that, the last time I played Laser Tag was with my mom…”

Laura trailed off and looked into the brunette’s eyes as a small understanding dawned on her. When the demon didn’t show any intention of interrupting, she went on, “Well, I know you’ve noticed my mom isn’t around. I actually haven’t seen my mom in a couple years even though when I was a kid we were inseparable. Her and my dad divorced when I was young and I won’t bore you with the details, but I guess it is just a sore spot for me.”

“Cupcake, you could never ‘bore me with the details’ of your life.” Carmilla smiled at the blonde reassuringly, “Trust me.”

Laura’s lips turned up into a tiny smile, her eyes met the brunettes and without warning she sprung forward and wrapped the demon in a tight hug. Carmilla jumped in surprise before folding her arms around the tiny blonde in from of her and relaxing into the embrace.

“Laura?” the demon’s voice was husky so she cleared her throat and tried again, “Laura? Are you sure you are alright?”

Unable to speak with her face shoved against the brunette’s shoulder, the blonde head simply nodded before turning to free her mouth. “Yeah, just humor me for a second ok?”

Carmilla gave a small huff of agreement before she began rubbing the blonde’s back up and down. Laura gave a sigh and just buried herself deeper into her shoulder.

The demon couldn’t help herself. She smiled at the adorable little lump holding her tight and tilted her head down, placing a gentle kiss on her friend’s forehead before freezing.

_Shitshitshitshit what did I just do? Oh fuck I just ruined everything._

Her panic was short lived, a pink color crept into Laura’s cheeks and she didn’t look upset at all about the little slip up. Instead she gazed up at Carmilla and smiled before leaning her weight on her. The demon allowed herself to be pushed onto her back, letting Laura do whatever she had on her mind. It didn’t take her long to figure it out when the blonde snuggled up to her side and again rested her head on the girl’s shoulder, this time positioned so that Carmilla’s arm was around her.

_Holy shit. Are we…. cuddling?_

The girls lay like this for a couple minutes in silence, comfortable simply listening to each other’s breathing.

“Carm?” She asked breaking the silence, her smile infecting the demon, “Do you maybe want to spend the night? Neither of us work until tomorrow night and maybe I can take you out in the morning so we can both get a gift for the exchange. You don’t have to, it’s totally cool if you don’t want to. I can always just…”

The demon found it overwhelmingly difficult to keep herself from kissing the adorable blonde again, this time a couple inches lower.

“Of course I will stay. Do you mind if I borrow some sweats again?”

Laura giggled but Carmilla felt the relief that she didn’t allow to show.

“Of course. Come on it’s late, let’s get ready for bed.”

_Well she bounces back quickly…_

Laura had climbed over Carmilla and was out the door before the brunette even had a chance to sit up.

Getting ready for bed took a little longer than expected since Laura felt the need to take her toothbrush out of her mouth in the middle of brushing her teeth and swipe the bristles down Carmilla’s cheek.  The demon could feel her underlying sadness but played along knowing that the blonde was looking for a distraction.

Both girls finally fell into bed laughing, their faces both feeling as minty fresh as their mouths. The demon didn’t know why, but something about Laura brought out a side of her that Carmilla had never before thought was possible.

“Hey Carm?” Laura’s voice suddenly turned serious.

“Yeah?” the demon turned her head just in time for Laura’s lips to land on her cheek, lingering a moment too long to be considered just a peck.

“Thank you for being my friend. I really am so glad I met you.”

Carmilla didn’t know what to say, her heart felt like it grew about five sizes and it choked her up. Then she found she couldn’t say anything because the blonde took that moment to reach her hands out and begin tickling her sides.

Now, the demon had never been tickled before in her innumerable years of life and truth be told she hadn’t even know if she was ticklish. Thanks to the little blonde dork making her squirm with laughter, she had her answer.

_Oh, it’s on…_

Carmilla put her hands on Laura’s sides and gave a quick squeeze; effectively cutting off the attack and making the other girl drop and writhe over her. Her giggles became breathless as the blonde did her best to protect herself from the nimble fingers of the demon who was using the opening to tickle her mercilessly.

“Oh my God Carm, I can’t breathe.” Laura managed to gasp, reminding the brunette that humans were more fragile than she is.

Bracing her hands on the blonde’s shoulders, Carmilla flipped her onto her back and pinned her wrists to the bed. No longer under attack, Laura dramatically gasped for air.

“You can dish it but can’t take it, huh Creampuff?” Carmilla smiled in victory, lowering her face a little to whisper, “Say uncle and I will let you up.”

Laura’s eyes went wide and instead of answering the brunette’s terms of surrender, her gaze went right to her captor’s lips.

_Well shit, I definitely didn’t think this one through…_

Their faces were mere inches apart and Carmilla could see a blush blooming across Laura’s face. She knew this was a bad idea, the demon had gone weeks without making a move on the blonde and yet here she was. The girl she couldn’t get off her mind was pinned underneath her, breathing heavily as she gave every sign that she was thinking exactly what the brunette was.

“Carm…” Laura licked her lips, her eyes were flitting back and forth from the demon’s mouth then up to meet her gaze.

Carmilla groaned internally, knowing she wouldn’t be able to resist this time.

Time stopped, their bodies pressed together. Each girl could feel the racing heart of the other, yet neither moved. The demon inhaled slowly, building the courage that she desperately needed.

“Laura, can I…” she didn’t even finish her question when Laura nodded, her eyes were hooded and she smiled.

Carmilla wasted no time in closing what little distance was left between them.

Their lips met quickly, both girls impatient knowing how long this had been on their minds. Laura’s lips were soft and gentle and they were driving the demon insane. She used her tongue to trace Laura’s lips, making her shiver.

This only spurred Carmilla on, nipping and biting and eliciting sounds from the girl beneath her. She could feel wetness creeping between her legs, she had never been so turned on so quickly ever before. The brunette knew if she kept going at that pace, she wouldn’t want to stop.

Putting her weight on her elbow, she let go of Laura’s wrists and relocated her hand to the blonde’s cheek. Carmilla slowed her lips as she caressed the server’s face, deepening the kiss and making it less frantic.

The moan that escaped the other girl was testing the brunette’s willpower, but as much as she had given in, she would go no further. Carmilla’s hand snuck underneath Laura’s hair and cupped the back of her head, making it possible for her to have more control. She was seeing stars by the time their lips broke apart, their gazes locked as they gasped for breath in silence.

“That was even better than I had imagined…” Laura joked, her grin infectious.

Carmilla had to remind herself that she stopped kissing Laura for a reason, no matter how little that reason meant to her when she was staring at her kiss-bruised lips.

“You were imagining it?” the demon asked playfully, hoping that talking would keep her from continuing what they had started.

“Well yeah, I’ve liked you for a pretty long time.” The blonde admitted, her eyes avoiding the brunette’s as she added, “And there is a slight possibility that maybe that could have been my first kiss…”

“Oh God…” Carmilla’s head sunk, resting on Laura’s shoulder in disbelief. “That was your first kiss?”

“It wasn’t that bad, was it?” the blonde asked, uncertainty coloring her aura.

“No, nonono that’s not what I meant cutie,” Carmilla backpedaled, rolling off of the blonde and covering her face with her hands, “Oh God I’m going back to Hell.”

Laura pushed herself up onto her elbows, giving the brunette a curious look. “As much as I enjoy your puns, what’s wrong?”

“That was your first kiss.”

“Yes, thank you for reminding me.”

“No. Laura, I was your first kiss…”

Obviously she wasn’t getting through to the girl because she was giving her a ‘yeah, and?’ look without even blinking.

“Why me?” the demon finally managed to verbalize as she did a fairly decent job of hiding her internal freak out.

“Because you goof,” she reached her finger out and swiped it lightly across the brunette’s nose playfully, “no one has known me well enough to kiss me.”

Her allusion to their talk all those weeks ago, no matter how drunk Carmilla had been, made the bartender smile. Without thinking, she reached her hand out and cupped the back of Laura’s neck once again. She pulled her in and when their lips met, it wasn’t due to any reason Carmilla had ever kissed anyone before. There was no urgency, no deceit, no ulterior motive.

The demon couldn’t verbalize what she was feeling, but it made her warm inside like nothing before and so she had simply kissed her.

The brunette pulled away, slightly horrified at what she had just done for so many reasons. “I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“Oh shush. If I didn’t want you to kiss me, you would know it. Trust me.”

This entire situation was something Carmilla had never experienced and never even considered, giving her the uncomfortable feeling of not knowing how to respond. Turns out she didn’t need to say anything because Laura hopped up and turned the lights off before returning to the bed.

The demon was surprised when she felt the little blonde cuddle up next to her and lay her head once more on her shoulder. Instinctively, Carmilla wrapped her arm around Laura’s waist and pulled her a little closer. She would have sworn Laura had been a bunny in a past life the way she nuzzled up to her before giving a little noise of happiness and relaxing.

_Is this what home feels like?_

“I’m really glad I met you too Creampuff.” The brunette whispered into her hair, responding to her earlier sentiment before placing a feather light kiss on her forehead.

She felt the blonde’s hand wiggle its way into hers and give a squeeze.

“Thank you for not pushing anything this whole time. I know I am not the easiest person but I wanted to get to know you as friends first before anything happened, and I wasn’t even sure what was happening when we first went out on that ‘date’.”

The demon let out a throaty laugh, “To be honest, I’m really glad we got to know each other as friends too. I won’t lie; I didn’t know what was going on with you at first. But your friend Lafontaine not so subtly told me to not rush anything with you. I’m just glad I took their advice.”

“Lafontaine knows entirely too much. They have some pretty random advice but I have to tell you, no matter how odd it is, their advice has quite literally never steered me wrong.”

“I will keep that in mind.” Carmilla returned the squeeze with her hand and gave Laura a kiss on the forehead, “Good night Cupcake.”

“Sleep well Carm.”

She couldn’t keep herself from smiling, this entire situation so improbable to her that it still didn’t feel real.

_You deserve so much better than what you have been given._

Light snores reached Carmilla’s ears and she smiled, her chest constricting with happiness.

_I just wish I was the person you think I am._

-Laura-

“We will be safe Dad, I promise.”

Carmilla gave her a sidelong glance and Laura rolled her eyes at the phone pressed to her ear.

“Yes Dad, I will call you when we are leaving and however many times you want me to while we are on our way home too.”

Carmilla made a phone with her hand and put it up to her head before pulling it away, pretending to hang the hand-phone up, and shutting it.

Laura smiled at her and put a finger up, “Ok Dad, we are about to start Laser Tag. I have to go… Yes Dad…I love you too, bye.”

Finally shutting her phone, Laura danced over to the brunette beauty who was lounging against the wall. She already had her vest on and was holding another out for Laura. Once she had secured her vest in place, Carmilla handed her the extra laser gun she was holding before making a show of blowing on the end of her gun’s barrel, spinning it on her finger, and quickly shoving the toy gun in her pocket as it if was a holster.

“This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.” The brunette drawled in a southern accent and danced her fingers over the grip.

“First of all, we are on the same team there cowboy.” Laura joked, “And secondly, cowboys used revolvers and that is not a revolver.”

The blonde motioned to the gun sticking out of the front pocket of Carmilla’s jeans, the end stopping about where her ribs started.

“But it was a nice try.”

Laura could see the bartender’s gaze travel over her body before she asked, “So, how many times will your dad call between now and when I express deliver you to your porch?”

The blonde swatted Carmilla’s shoulder, “He is just worried, this hurricane is coming closer than the meteorologists were saying it would.” Carmilla gave Laura a knowing look and cocked her eyebrow making the blonde smile, “And I’m guessing about fifty, depending on how many times I actually answer.”

Laura grabbed her moody bartender’s hand and turned, making her way back to the group waiting outside the entrance to the Laser Tag arena, Carmilla in tow.

However it seemed that the brunette had a slightly different plan. Laura’s forward momentum suddenly changed course due to the hand she was holding which was pulling her to the side instead of towards the group gathered outside the Laser Tag arena.

In the blink of an eye, the server found herself with her back pressed against the wall in a small hallway that led to a door with an ‘Employees Only’ sign hanging askew. The corridor was barely lit with a dying lightbulb which hung closer to the door which left the girls mostly in shadow. But there was more than enough light for Laura to be able to interpret the seduction eyes of the brunette who was using her hips to keep her against the wall.

“Carm…” Her breath hitched when the brunette ground her hips against the blonde.

Laura was pinned against the wall, the brunette’s hands on either side of her head. Neither girl moved for what felt like hours but had to only have been seconds. Both were breathing heavily, their gazes locked with mutual want.

Carmilla slowly leaned in and brought her hand up to cup the back of Laura’s neck, a pattern the blonde found that she loved. Their bodies were flush against each other but their lips were still a hair apart. The bartender’s eyes flashed from the server’s lips to her eyes as if asking permission.

_Dear God, that is so hot…_

Laura loved that another pattern of the brunette over the past few days was that she never kissed Laura without making sure to ask, whether verbally or not. But right now the server was a little on the impatient side.

She leaned forward and met the brunette’s lips excitedly and the sentiment was reciprocated. Carmilla’s hips grinded against her again which had the blonde seeing stars, but she had learned a thing or two from the bartender in the past few days.

Laura smiled as she pulled back slightly, taking the other woman’s bottom lip between her teeth. She felt the shudder that went through the brunette’s body before their mouths were together again with a fervor.

The server’s hands came up to Carmilla’s hips, making her groan as she trailed her hands ever so slowly up her sides. Suddenly, the kiss was broken and Laura opened her eyes to see the bartender had put a good foot between the two of them and was now breathing heavily as she raked her eyes up her body.

“My God Creampuff, you learn fast don’t you?”

Laura hid her smile at what she had done to the other woman. She was definitely not used to having this effect on someone and she would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy it.

“If you meant that, you would still be over here kissing me and not over there looking like you do.”

Carmilla growled and ran her hand through her hair, “As spot on as you are, we have people waiting on us to play Laser Tag. If I hadn’t stopped then, I don’t know if I could have.”

The blonde huffed, “Ugh good point. Fine, but we aren’t done here.”

She raked her hands through her hair trying to tame it where the bartender’s hands had been.

The shit eating grin that Laura was equally annoyed and turned on by graced Carmilla’s face, “Oh really? You only had your first kiss three days ago and you already want more?”

The blonde raised her hand up and down as though making an example of the brunette’s entire body. “Have you looked in a mirror ever? Maybe not at this exact moment but yes, sooner or later I will want ‘more’.”

Those perfectly sculpted eyebrows rose in astonishment, “Duly noted, but for right now we have a game of Laser Tag to play. Come on, if we don’t show up in the next ten seconds I have a feeling that your friend with the campfire on her head will hunt me down.”

Her mouth turned up in a grin at her own joke and used her fingers to fix a few hairs that Laura had missed. Taking the server’s hand, Carmilla led them out of the hall and through the arcade to where the group was gathered. Lafontaine spotted the girls walked towards them and gave them a bright smile.

“Ok everyone!” came Lafontaine’s excited voice quieting everyone’s conversations, “Now that everyone is here, let’s get started! The teams are as follows; red team is myself, Perry, Danny, Betty, and Elsie. Blue team will be Laura, Carmilla, Will, Kirsch, and JP. Does anyone have any questions?” A couple heads shook no and Laf continued, “Good, well then let’s get going. Red team go left, blue team go right and wait in the home bases until they announce it’s time to start.”

The small group filed through the door and into the darkness. Past the door the hall separated, illuminated by minimal neon lights and the glow of their vests and guns. Laura tapped on Carmilla’s shoulder as they made their way down the corridor and pointed to her converse whose laces were glowing in the black light.

A few more steps and the tunnel curved left and opened into a larger room. About five feet away from the entrance was a wall illuminated with veins of blue light. The whole room was very dark and past the wall there was a maze of smaller walls, each veined with lights. Closer to where they stood the room had a blue glow but halfway down the room the blue lights turned red, marking a border between each team’s territory.

“Ok dudes, is everyone ready to kick some red team butt?” Kirsch’s excited voice brought the team together in a huddle.

Laura was happy that Kirsch was acting more like himself. Ever since SJ’s death, he had been in a funk. He wasn’t his usual, jolly and joking self. Tonight was actually the first time that Laura had seen the old Kirsch in months, she was going to do her best to keep it that way.

Before anyone had the chance to answer, a voice came through the speakers around the room. “Hello everyone and welcome to the Laser Tag! For anyone new to the game, the rules are simple. Just shoot as many of the opposing team as you can. If your vest makes a noise and begins flashing, that means that you have been hit and you must return to your home base until the vest changes back to your team color which will take a moment. Each time you hit someone of the opposing team, you will win your team points. If your gun begins flashing, you are low on ammo and a quick run through your home base will give you a refill. The game will last thirty minutes, and the team with the most points at that time will win. The game will begin when the music starts playing. We wish you the best of luck and we hope you enjoy your experience here at the Recreation Station!”

A cheer went up from each end of the room and music began blaring from speakers hidden around the room. Carmilla and Laura shared a look when Kirsch, Will, and JP made whooping noises and ran headlong out of the home base. The brunette gave Laura a wink before pointing her gun up beside her body like a cop on tv and sidestepped, vanishing into the darkness. Laura smiled at the idiot side of her friend who seemed to only come out when they alone together.

_Oh, I have got it so bad…_

The blonde shook that thought off and ran out into the dark, sounds of laser guns and war cries as people were hit coming from the border of the red and blue markers.

The game was a whirlwind of laughter and bright lights. It seemed as though Elsie had a personal vendetta against Laura, shooting her as often as humanly possible and she had a good idea why. Since she and Carmilla had kissed a couple of nights ago, their friendship had only gotten more playful in public. It must have been obvious that something had happened since Elsie had used every opportunity to shoot the blonde dirty looks, and now was using every opportunity to just plain shoot her. However in between the assaults,  Laura managed to hit quite a few people, unfortunately one of them was Kirsch who gave her a look of such deep betrayal and a “Bro, why?” before he trudged off back to base with a pout.

On the other hand, Carmilla and Danny were like war heroes, both seemed to take this game as a direct challenge to their honor with the way they were going after each other. Laura had to sit in the home base because her stomach hurt from laughing so hard at one of the confrontations between the two women. Carmilla had Danny on the run in their own blue hued territory and as the redhead retreated behind a wall, the brunette had yelled after her, “Good luck hiding on the blue side you human fire hydrant!”

It felt like five minutes before the music began to dim to make room for the voice over the intercom, “One minute left everyone! Make your last shots count!”

The music intensified, lighting a fire under everyone to get in a couple more points for their teams. Laura charged into the firefight and even managed to hit Lafontaine who was stalking an unknowing Will before her vest lit up and made a noise. Only then did she see Perry smiling at her from behind another wall. The blonde didn’t even have a chance to run back to home base before the music grew softer and the lights began to come on.

“The game is over!” the voice over the speakers boomed, “Everyone please file out behind your respective home bases. Before you exit the hallways, please take your vests off and hand them and your guns to the employees waiting for you at the end of the tunnel. Once everyone is out, we will give you the score and announce the winning team. I would like to thank you again for visiting the Recreation Station and I hope you all drive safely and have a great evening!”

The group split and made their way back to their home base as they shed their vests. They walked single file down the hall and handed their equipment over to the person at the end of the hallway before congregating outside of the Laser Tag arena.

Once everyone was there, a woman who turned out to be the voice from the loudspeaker came up to them with a smile on her face. “Hello everyone! Did y’all have fun?”

The group cried out in reply, adrenaline still running through their veins.

“Good!” the woman’s smile was infectious, “Are you ready to hear who the winners are?” Another affirmative cry from the group in front of her made her smile grow even bigger. “Alright! With a lead of 437-372, the winning team is…”

The group was silent, barely breathing as they waited for her to announce the team. All around them, the sound of laughter from other groups and the music and noises from the arcade machines made the suspense that much greater.

“... Blue Team!” she finally gave them what they wanted.

The boys let out whoops of joy and gave each other high fives.

_Ugh, I’m choking on testosterone…_

Carmilla and Laura shared a smile, however the brunette’s expression wasn’t excited as the rest of the team’s. The blonde noticed the way her eyes crinkled in the corners and how soft her gaze was as she took in the younger girl. Laura blushed and looked down, suddenly embarrassed for some strange reason, butterflies taking over her stomach.

“Alright! Good job everyone!” Lafontaine said over the guy’s celebrations. “Did we all have fun?” The group unanimously agreed, “Good. Well it’s getting pretty late and we all have a two hour drive ahead of us.”

Grumbles followed this statement as the group migrated towards the doors.

“Hey Carmilla?” Will’s voice came from behind them and the two girls turned in sync, “I’m going to ride home with Kirsch okay? He invited me over to his house.”

“That’s fine,” the brunette replied, “See you later then.”

Her younger brother turned and made his way back to Kirsch who gave him a high five when he learned that Carmilla hadn’t objected to their plan.

It was interesting the dynamic these two had. Laura had noticed that even though they were siblings, Carmilla seemed to be acting a little like the boy’s mother. Not standing over him and watching his every move, but more like she was in charge of him. It was an interesting relationship but it wasn’t unusual, just a little different especially for sibling of their ages.

“Well Cutie, it looks like it is just the two of us in my car for the ride home.” Carmilla observed as they saw Kirsch and Will make a dash for Kirsch’s truck. Betty and Elsie sprinted across the parking lot that was nearly invisible due to the wall of water falling from the sky towards Betty’s little pink Bug.

“Laura?” Danny came up from behind her, “Could you text me when you get home safely? The weather has definitely gotten worse.” She nodded to indicate the torrential downpour and the sound of the howling wind.

“Of course, same for you. Don’t forget please?” the blonde responded.

The redhead gave a nod before turning and following Lafontaine and Perry to Laf’s SUV.

-Carmilla-

Her inner feline was hissing at the torrential downpour in front of them. Everyone had run to their cars and were already leaving when she turned to Laura.

“I will run out and get my jeep, stay here and I will come pick you up.”

“Are you sure?” Laura’s teeth were chattering as she looked at Carmilla.

“Of course, I will be right back. Stay here.” The brunette stole herself for the icy rain and dashed out into the night.

Once she was sure Laura couldn’t see her through the rain, Carmilla ran at her natural speed to reach her car in less than a second, jumping in her car and slamming the door against the wind.

_Thank God I remembered where I put the top to this thing, or else we would not have a pleasant ride home._

The demon glanced at the roof of her car, reattached in preparation for the storm. She let the cabin warm up a little before pulling up to the entrance and unlocking the door for Laura to jump in.

“ _Brrrrrrrrr,_ ” She shivered as she shut the door and snuggled up into her jacket.

“Are you ready cutie?” The brunette asked her passenger.

The blonde nodded and cuddled even more into herself for warmth. The sight of Laura making herself so small was too adorable for Carmilla not to smile at. As she pulled away, the demon reached over and turned the heat on full blast.

Laura slowly came out of her cocoon as they drove down the road at a moderate pace. Even her demonic sight couldn’t see very far in this rain, not to mention she would be a model driver with Laura in the car.

“Why don’t you put on some music?” she asked her passenger.

“Okay, do you have any CD’s?” Laura asked.

“Nah, here. Take my phone, you can look through my music. It is connected via Bluetooth so just hit play and it will.” The demon held her phone out to the blonde who took it hesitantly.

“Ummm, I need your passcode.”

“1698” Carmilla supplied without thinking.

“Ok, give me a second.”

The demon smiled at the sight of Laura clicking around her phone, completely lost as to how to navigate through a phone that didn’t flip. They were traveling down a two lane road with the ocean on their left side, a small strip of grass and a railing were all that separated the pavement from a rocky hill that ended in foaming waves. The road was winding but otherwise not harrowing in this weather.

“Look at the bottom of the screen, there will be a multi colored music note on a white background. Click that.”

The server followed her directions and was finally able to open up the music app.

“Now just scroll down. Right now, the list is artists but I can change it so you are scrolling through my songs if you want.”

The demon took her eyes off the road for a moment, unfortunately it was just a moment too long.

-Laura-

It came out of nowhere. Carmilla took her eyes off the road for a second to help her navigate through the phone. The blonde happened to glance up to see a curve that the brunette wasn’t turning for, a huge tree was mere feet in front of their speeding car.

“CARM LOOK OUT!” she cried, bracing herself for impact.

Carmilla must have some kind of superhuman reflexes because as soon as the warning was out of her mouth, the jeep swerved missing the trunk by inches and taking off a few of the lower hanging branches.

Everything was a blur of motion as Laura saw Carmilla frantically turning the steering wheel but the car wasn’t responding. They were hydroplaning sideways across the roadway. As soon as they hit the edge of the road, Laura’s stomach lurched as the world turned upside down.

The jeep was airborne, Carmilla’s arm pressed reflexively across the blonde’s body before a jarring impact threw Laura head first into the windshield.

Everything went black before rushing back with a fury. Laura was noticing things in slowly processed flashes.

The sound of metal crashing, bending, and tearing.

A lurching stop.

A sinking feeling.

A sharp sting across her torso.

Water everywhere, pushing in from every direction.

Two strong arms carrying her through the howling wind.

Vomiting salt water.

Gasping for breath.

Throat feeling as if she had gargled sand paper.

The world suddenly sucked back into focus. Laura was on her hands and knees dry heaving and finally managing her first breath in what felt like years. Her throat felt like it was on fire and she was completely drenched, there was water everywhere and not just because of the rain.

Nothing else was coming up and Laura had absolutely no strength, she flopped limply on her side somehow managing to direct her head to Carmilla’s lap. The brunette looked even worse than the blonde felt, and that was saying something.

She was sitting against a tree with her eyes closed in pain, her arm and wrist were splayed at unnatural angles and her torso was completely covered in blood.

Her eyes opened and she glanced down, seeing Laura’s eyes on her. “Oh thank God.” She sighed breathlessly, unable to do much else in her state.

“What…” the blonde began but was interrupted.

“I am so sorry. Laura I am so sorry.” Her face was twisted with guilt before it screwed up with pain as coughs wracked her already weak body, “I looked away for one second, we hydroplaned…”

_Ok, well that answers some questions._

“Carm, I’m so cold…” the blonde managed to get out.

“Laura no, don’t close your eyes.” She was pleading, “You hit your head really badly, you have to stay awake.”

When she looked up, she caught a glimpse of the bartender’s face before raindrops landed in her eyes and she had to look away. Her expression was pained, as if she was caught in between a proverbial rock and a hard place.

“Laura?” she began, not at all sure of what she had finally decided to do, “Do you believe in angels?”

The blonde let out a choked laugh at the absurd question but thought better of continuing when pain blossomed from her stomach and chest.

“Of course I do,” she began, meeting the brunette’s hurting gaze, “I even have my own guardian angel.”

This elicited a strangled laugh from Carmilla, “Oh yeah? Well tell your angel that they need to step it up.”

“I will not, you are still new to the job and deserve some wiggle room.”

The bartender looked like she was about to cry when she realized what the blonde had implied, but Laura was distracted by her own fit of coughing that sprayed Carmilla’s drenched form with blood. Everything took on a surreal quality; the bloody raindrops that dripped down the brunette’s concerned face that was yelling something that she couldn’t hear over the howling of the wind.

Black started to eat away at the edges of her sight, her stomach rebelling again and her chest felt like it was a painful void.

_I must be in shock._

Laura could feel herself losing consciousness. The last thing she saw before the darkness took her was the two enormous black wings that suddenly appeared and wrapped around the two girls, effectively creating a shelter from the wind and the rain.

Wings that seemed to be sprouting from Carmilla’s back.

_Well that can’t be right…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoot me a comment about what you think! This is the chapter where things start getting juicy so let me know what I'm doing right or what I'm doing wrong.  
> **Follow me on tumblr, my inbox is always open! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/butiwilllove


	8. Angels And Demons (And Laura)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we get quite a few (but not all) things explained and the angst begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to let anyone reading know that I will be doing my best to update this regularly as I have been but I am in the process of moving out on my own for the first time so it may not be as on time as I would hope. Stick with me though because this is where things start to get interesting.  
> TRIGGER WARNING:  
> cutting (though not for the purpose of self harm)

-Laura-

Pain burned white like lightning.

Laura screamed and writhed, scared and disoriented as her body convulsed in agony.

“Hold her down! She needs to be still or she could hurt herself even more!”

Viselike grips held her hands and feet down, making movement impossible. Her body continued to spasm as the torment holding her captive began to slowly make its way to her chest. It was agonizing how slowly the pain moved to that once concentrated spot until it began to disappear, funneled out by some unknown force.

Her body gave a large buck and it felt like someone had used the pain she was in as a giant rubber band, one that had just snapped against her skin.

Blackness welcomed her once more.

\-----------

Consciousness returned to her slowly, and with it came confusion. She could feel that she was lying on cushions, maybe a bed? Her entire body was stiff as if she hadn’t moved in days and the sound of arguing voices drifted from somewhere nearby. She couldn’t make out what they were saying but that wasn’t high on her list of “find out what the holy hell is going on”.

She cracked open an eye and did a double take. She was laying on the couch in Perry and Danny’s living room, morning light streaming through cracks in the drawn curtains. Laura stretched her entire body, joints cracking and muscles relaxing made her let out a moan and struggled to sit up.

The arguing voices instantly stopped, replaced by the sound of footsteps making their way in her direction. Within moments, Carmilla burst into the living room with Danny and Perry close on her heels. The only difference is that while Danny and Perry stopped a respectable distance from where she was slumped on the couch, Carmilla didn’t. Before she could blink, the brunette had her wrapped up in an embrace.

“Oh thank God,” she pushed hair out of Laura’s face and began inspecting her, “how are you feeling? Does anything hurt?”

“Dear God, you are even more pathetic than last time.” The annoyed voice of Danny floated over from where she had plopped herself in the armchair opposite of the couch, “Give the girl some room, I promise she is fine.”

“Shut up Xena, no one asked you.” The brunette snapped as she continued searching for any signs of harm.

As the bartender searched her body, Laura noticed that Danny was sporting quite a few injuries. Her friend’s face was all cut up and she had a noticeable knot on the upper left side of her forehead. She looked like she was in pain, each breath making the woman wince.

“Actually yes, you did ask me. Specifically.” The red head’s tone was goading, and Laura could see it was working on Carmilla.

“Oh, be quiet you two!” Perry’s interruption effectively stopped the bickering between the two girls as she approached the couch where Laura lay. Carmilla moved aside almost respectively for the older woman to kneel down in front of the blonde, “Laura honey, how are you feeling? Does anything hurt?”

Laura did her best to answer as she was trying to figure out just what the heck was going on here. Carmilla was staring at her with worry etched into her features and Danny was watching the brunette with a mocking, superior smile on her face.

“No, I feel kind of achy but nothing really hurts…”

“Achy? Dammit you useless animal with wings, I thought you said she wouldn’t feel a thing!” The bartender rounded on Danny but was stopped by Perry’s stern voice.

“Carmilla that is enough!”

The bartender halted in her tracks, seemingly chastised.

Laura would have laughed at this if she wasn’t so confused.

“Ummm can someone please tell me what is going on?” she questioned, looking at each of the three women in turn.

Each one of them had a very different reaction.

Perry smiled sweetly at her and put her hand on the blonde’s shoulder reassuringly. Danny was shooting a shit eating grin at Carmilla who had a grimace on her face.

“Yeah Carmilla, why don’t you tell Laura what is going on?” It was obvious that her friend was enjoying the brunette’s discomfort.

“Danny, that is enough from you too.” Her sister looked immediately chastened, “Now honey, what do you remember from last night?”

Laura pushed herself up into seating position with a little help from Perry who was still kneeling near the couch.

“Ummmm,” the blonde screwed up her features in thought, “Well we went to the Recreation Station and we all played Laser Tag. And, uh, Carmilla was driving me home.” Three sets of eyes were trained on her as she did her best to put pieces together. “She asked me to put on music but I couldn’t figure out her phone and….. Oh my God, did we get in an accident?”

Laura’s eyes blew wide open as she stared at Carmilla, “Carm, are you okay? What happened?”

It looked like the demon was taking each word as a slap and she glanced at the blonde guiltily.

“Yes honey, you did.” Perry redirected the conversation, “We will explain everything, I promise. But first, is there anything else you remember after that?”

Laura took a deep breath to calm her racing heart, thinking back to the night before. “Okay, let me think.” She began, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, “It’s just a lot of flashes after that really. I remember the car accident a bit, I remember my head really hurt and my chest felt weird. Uh, and I remember being under a tree with Carmilla and I was really cold and wet and there was blood everywhere.”

The entire room seemed to hold its breath as she searched her memory.

“And I remember Carmilla looking scared. Wait, did you ask me if I believed in angels?” Laura’s gaze went straight to the bartender who seemed to shrink at each word. “I think I hit my head because after that, the last thing I remember was…” she turned back to the other two women, “Now, don’t laugh at me okay? I think I saw these huge black wings protecting us, kind of like an eagle’s wings except much bigger and completely black. How crazy does that sound?”

Laura let out a laugh at the thought, but it trailed off uneasily before stopping completely when she saw the reactions of the others. Carmilla groaned and covered her face with her hands and Perry and Danny were giving her pitying looks.

“But I mean, that’s crazy right?” she asked slowly, her voice going up in pitch with each question, “That’s impossible, right? That couldn’t have been what happened, right? Oh my God someone just tell me what happened! You are driving me insane!”

“Carmilla?” Perry finally stood up and addressed the bartender, “I’m sorry but it looks like there is no way around this one.”

Her face fell at the older woman’s words, her shoulders slumped in defeat.

“You’re right, this is my fault.” It felt like she was saying this more to convince herself than for anyone else in the room.

“Carm? What’s wrong?” her voice was small again, pleading.

The brunette walked back toward where Laura was sitting on the couch, pulling up a foot rest to sit on so that the two girls were facing each other. “Laura,” she began hesitantly, “do you trust me?”

The red headed sister’s faded into the background and her attention was completely on Carmilla.

“Of course,” the serious tone of the room finally getting through to her, “I trust you.”

The brunette reached out and took a hold of Laura’s hands, looking her in the eye as she began. “Laura, we did get in a car accident last night. But I need you to know that I am telling you the truth, no matter how impossible it is to believe, ok?”

The blonde’s heart fell into her stomach, fearing the worst but she nodded.

“Last night, remember the road we were on? How there was just the guard railing and then a hill that stopped at the ocean?” she waited for her to nod before continuing, “I took my eyes off the road for a second and we hydroplaned. The jeep flipped once it hit the grass and we flipped right over the railing. Laura, we went into the ocean.”

The blonde gasped and opened her mouth to interrupt but Carmilla beat her to it, “Wait, just listen okay? You can ask as many questions as you want when I’m done.” Their eyes never left each other and the blonde agreed silently. “I managed to get us out of the car but I had to cut your seatbelt off of you. I pulled you up and carried you across the road to the trees so we could have some shelter. Cupcake, you shattered the windshield with your head and one of the poles from the frame of my jeep… it went through your chest.”

“No, that’s impossible!” she smiled, figuring that this must be a joke of some sorts, “You say that happened last night, but look at me! I’m fine, see?” She pulled the collar of her shirt down to make her point, “No hole in my chest, no cracked skull, no…” she trailed off when she noticed a line running across the upper part of her right breast. “Wait, what is this?”

She ran a finger across the mark and her blood ran cold. It wasn’t just a mark, it was a scar. The scar tissue was raised and just slightly paler than her usual skin tone.

“How is this possible?” she glanced up to her friend and then at Danny and Perry respectively. “This is a scar. I have never seen this before but it looks like it is weeks, even months old…”

“Laura, please let me finish,” the bartender pleaded.

“Carm, what is going on? We were in a car accident that should have killed us but if what you are telling me is true, I should be dead! And you! I saw you bloody and broken last night! You definitely had more than a couple broken bones and yet here you are in front of me without a mark.” She had pieces of a puzzle in her head but none of them were fitting together, “And you two! Why are you here?”

“Because we live here?” Danny’s sarcastic quip was followed by a withering look from Perry.

The elder sister turned around and walked away, returning with a glass of water and handing it to the distressed girl. “Laura please, have some water. Let Carmilla explain okay? I promise we will answer all of your questions.”

Something about Perry made Laura feel calm and safe, her panic subsided as she sat back down and sipped her water.

“Thank you,” the bartender said to Perry who returned to stand next to Danny.

When she looked at her friend, something clicked in her brain, “Wait, then what happened to…”

“Laura? You promised you would let me explain.”

She sighed and motioned for Carmilla to go on.

“I haven’t been completely honest with you Laura,” she began again, “I’m not who you think I am. What you remember from last night? That all happened. And when I asked you if you believed in angels? You weren’t wrong. There really are angels, but not all of them are what you think angels are.”

Her eyes went wide again and she opened and shut her mouth, wanting to ask a million and one questions but keeping her promise to let Carmilla explain.

“Laura,” the brunette paused for what felt like an hour before mustering the courage to say what she needed to, “I’m an angel, but not the kind I know you are thinking of. I am an angel, but I fell. I’m a demon.”

The admission seemed to take everything she had, but Laura could only scoff in disbelief.

“You’re joking right? This is some kind of joke, right?” she asked Perry and Danny who were listening to the exchange.

Both women made no move to deny what Carmilla had said.

“But that’s impossible… You can’t be an angel!”

“Laura, I’m not really an angel. I’m a demon.” She watched the blonde trying to put all the pieces together in her head.

Laura’s expression turned from disbelief to seriousness, “Ok, if you are a demon, then where do they fit into all of this?” she gestured to Perry and Danny.

Surprisingly, it was Danny who spoke up in Carmilla’s defense. “We are on the other side of the spectrum. Perry and I are angels, the kind you see in the stained glass windows of churches and stuff.”

“Pfffft, angels?” Laura snorted, finding it harder and harder to believe that they were all in on the same joke, “If you two are angels and she is a demon, then prove it.”

This was obviously the last thing Carmilla had wanted to hear but she didn’t care. Her friend, or whatever it was that they were now, was trying to convince her that not only was she not human, but actually some kind of fallen angel? She would believe it when she saw it.

“If you insist…” Perry sighed, turning around again and walked to the kitchen. This time, she returned with a very sharp knife and an old rag, handing them to Carmilla before stepping back again. “Please do not get anything on my furniture, blood stains very easily.”

Laura’s eyes widened as she realized where this was going. Before she could stop her, Carmilla put her hand out palm up and slid the blade across her skin, blood welling up instantly in its wake.

“Oh my God Carmilla! What are you doing?” she cried, surging forward and snatching the rag. The blonde cupped the brunette’s injured hand and pressed the towel down on the cut to stop the bleeding. “What the heck are you thinking? This joke has gone way too far, this will need stitches and you won’t be able to work and…” her voice trailed off as once again, all three sets of eyes were trained on her; each watching closely for a reaction.

_What are they doing? Carmilla just cut herself! Why are they all just looking at me?_

“Laura,” the bartender said slowly, making sure to be gentle, “Take the rag off of my hand.”

She nodded her head to the towel the blonde was still pressing to her hand with all of her strength.

Laura wasn’t sure what to make of this, but she had a feeling that whatever was going on was entirely out of her league. Carefully, she did as her friend told her and stopped pressing on the rag. As gently as she could, she picked the towel up from the wound and gasped audibly.

Where less than a minute ago there was a very deep and heavily bleeding cut, there was only splotches of dried blood.

_But that is impossible…_

Laura quickly reached out for her glass of water and poured it over the blood stained palm, dabbing the moisture up to she could get a better look.

“What is going on…” She whispered, dropping the rag and grabbing the brunette’s hand, turning it every which way to inspect this miracle. “Carmilla, what is going on?”

“I already told you Cutie, I am not human.”

“So that means… That means you two are angels?” she glanced up in disbelief at the sisters on the other side of the room.

They both nodded. All the strength was sapped from Laura and she crumpled back onto the couch, unable to wrap her mind around what she had just learned.

“Laura, last night you almost died. I was watching you bleed out on my lap and I knew if I didn’t do something, you would have…” she choked up, unable to finish that thought. “I managed to call these two, but I couldn’t do anything myself because I was hurt too badly.”

She was staring down at her hands, everything she thought she knew crashing down around her. Finally, she glanced back up and addressed Danny about what she was piecing together, “How did you get hurt?”

“Ah, now we are getting to the right questions.” She smiled, wincing only slightly. “Like our friend over here said before, there are differences between angels like Perry and I, and demons like her. Both of us heal very quickly, even from wounds that would have killed a human seven times over. However the difference is that angels can also heal another’s physical injuries by transferring them from the injured to themselves. So the reason why you are still alive is because I took your injuries.” She gestured to her head and body, “What you see here is what you looked like last night, only much, much better because I have already been healing. These will all be gone by midafternoon.”

The blonde just stared at her friends dumbfounded, “So, I was dying and you took my injuries. But what about this scar on my chest?”

Carmilla chose that moment to speak up, “Maybe we should get you some food first. You need to eat, and then we can sit down somewhere more comfortable and explain everything to you. How does that sound?”

It was at that moment that the blonde’s stomach gave a loud rumble, breaking the tension in the air a bit and making everyone smile.

“I guess I can’t argue with that,” she joked, making everyone’s smiles less uneasy, “is anyone else hungry? Or wait, do you guys need to eat?”

“Laura, you have seen all of us eat.” She reminded her friend with a laugh, “I assure you that won’t change.”

_Well, I guess it could be worse, right?_

-Carmilla-

The worst part was over, but the demon was far from out of the woods with this. They had finally gotten Laura to believe them which was already more than she would have thought possible so soon. Perry made them all some lunch, after disposing of the bloody rag and tidying up first of course. They managed some small talk as they ate; Laura called her dad from the angel’s house phone since hers was soaking in rice in a feeble attempt to revive the old relic.

After she was able to convince him that she wasn’t dying somewhere, she was able to talk him down from punishment with ease that had Carmilla envious. With that done, the group made their way back to the living room and got comfortable, knowing they might be here for a while.

“I know you all promised to fill me in, but are you allowed to?” the blonde asked, concern on her face. “I feel like in every book I’ve ever read, this is exactly what the non-humans are told not to do…”

_Of course, Laura would be the one to make sure we won’t get in trouble for this._

“Yes honey, we are ‘allowed’ to tell you this.” Perry smiled at the concern she had for them, “But of course, don’t go around telling anyone else okay?”

Laura opened her mouth to tell her that of course she wouldn’t tell anyone (especially since she barely believed it herself) but was interrupted before she could make a sound.

“So, horns for brains, you are the once who got us here, so why don’t you start?” Danny called to Carmilla who was on the opposite side of the room.

“What do you want me to start, oh holy one?” she shot back.

“Children…” Perry warned, stopping the fight before it started.

“No offense, but it seems like there is more to Carm and Danny not liking each other than I thought. Maybe this would be better done without so many people?” the server suggested, looking to be doing her best not to offend anyone.

“You make a valid point,” Perry admitted, still holding the two fighting angels still with her stare, “Danny, come with me upstars. We will let these two talk…”

“What? You are leaving her alone with ‘child of rage’ over here? After everything…”

The wounded angel was silenced by Perry’s steely gaze. She averted her eyes and stood carefully, her wounds making her movements stiff.

“Don’t try anything you horned snake.” Danny shot over her shoulder as Perry followed her from the room.

Carmilla just watched their retreating forms until they turned and disappeared down a hallway. Once they were alone, the demon allowed her head to fall into her hands for a moment.

“Carm? Are you sure you are alright?”

The concern in Laura’s voice almost made her cry, but she sucked it back in and shut it away.

“Yes, I’m fine. I promise Creampuff.” She sent the server a smile that she hoped was convincing but most likely did nothing for her cause.

“Okay, well you want to start or should I just ask the millions of questions I have right now?”

The bartender gave an ironic laugh, “I will just start. It will make things a little easier.”

The blonde nodded and crossed her legs, situating herself on the couch.

“Well, I’m sure you have heard of God and Satan and what happened between them right? I mean before the whole Garden of Eden debacle.” Laura nodded and the demon continued, “It happened so long ago but when Mother fell, she brought quite a lot of us with her.”

“‘Mother’?” the server parroted as a question.

“Oh right, Mother is what she has us call her. You know her as Satan or Lucifer.”

A nod of understanding from Laura had the demon continuing.

“Well, that was a long time ago. So now you have angels like Ms. Uptight and Clifford and you have demons like myself and Will.”

“Will too? I guess that makes sense. But Danny said that there were similarities between you both, what does that mean?”

“She was talking about what we can do. We were made in the image of humans, hence why we can blend in so well here on Earth. As the amazon said, we heal much faster and they can take the injuries of others to heal them but I cannot. Another thing that both of us can do is see people’s auras.”

“Auras? Like colors around us or something?” the blonde asked, swirling her hands around her head trying to paint a picture of what she meant.

“Almost, but not exactly. It is hard to explain to a human who doesn’t have the sense to see them, but they aren’t just colors. Auras are made up of a living being’s emotions, thoughts, and intentions. And it’s not exactly seeing them either, we can smell them and taste them and overall FEEL them. You can actually feel auras for yourself, except people call that feeling a gut instinct or intuition or a sixth sense. In reality you are picking up on the more prominent aspects of someone else’s aura.”

Laura interrupted, “So hold on, you are telling me you can not only see, but smell and taste my emotions?”

“In the best way I can explain it yes. That’s a very complicated subject though so we will come back to that. Let me try to explain our differences first, beyond them being all holy and me being the bad guy.” Carmilla took this moment to stand and get herself a glass of water from the kitchen, her mouth dry in anticipation of telling Laura everything she was and answering the subsequent questions.

“So you obviously remember the black wings last night,” Laura nodded, “Well those were my wings.”

“Oh my gosh, you have wings?” the blonde chattered, suddenly excited, “Why can’t I see them now? Do you keep them somewhere? Do they have wings too?” She gestured to the ceiling, indicating she was talking about Perry and Danny.

“Yes they do, but their wings are white. Wait, let me finish,” the bartender inserted before Laura could go off on this bit of information, “there is one last thing. Picture angels and demons as an army, we each have ranks. Higher and lower ranking, everyone in heaven and in hell has a job. The thing is that angels get things much better than we do. All angels have the ability to, I guess you could call it transforming, into an animal. Only the higher ranking demons are able to transform, and by higher ranking I mean those of us who fell when God threw us out of heaven with Mother. There are a few exceptions of course but they are rare. Mother may ‘promote’ a younger demon, or someone who was once human and became a demon after death.”

“So are you ‘higher ranking’?”

“Yes I am.” Carmilla’s mouth slid up into a slight grin.

“So then what animal are you?”

“I can change into a black cat…” the brunette let that hang in the air, waiting for Laura to connect the dots.

“A BLACK CAT? Oh my God so that wasn’t a dream at all!” She jumped out of her seat on the couch when she finally understood, “You came to my house that night!”

“Laura, please sit down. Yes I did but I need to finish.”

The server sat down quietly, an apology on her lips.

“It’s fine, but there is one thing I left out. This is something that demons can do but not angels. Remember what I was telling you about auras?

“Yeah, they are the emotions and intentions of any living thing,” the blonde responded as though it were a definition she had memorized, “what about them?”

“Well, demons can do more than sense auras. We can also manipulate them…”

“Manipulate?” Laura’s face scrunched, obviously unhappy about this last piece of information.

Carmilla could see the bit of disbelief and the red tinge of anger making its way through the server’s aura as she continued to realize what exactly that meant. She knew Laura had put the pieces together and was growing increasingly livid, but she couldn’t bring herself to lie to the girl anymore.

“Yes.”

“So what you are saying is that you can mess with people’s emotions?” Her voice was getting louder with each word.

The demon brought her gaze to her hands in her lap, unable to keep eye contact with the blonde, “Yes.”

At the admission, Laura stood up and began pacing the room. She was huffing and puffing in anger, starting to say something many times but stopped herself before she began. Finally she settled on what she wanted to say.

“Did you ever manipulate my emotions?”

She stopped pacing and stared directly at the demon who was doing her best to shrink into herself, impatiently waiting for an answer.

Carmilla choked, trying again and again to answer the question but couldn’t make herself utter a single word. Laura took her silence as her answer and turned angrily, making it halfway across the room before spinning back on the demon.

“How much? How many times since I met you have you been choosing what you wanted me to feel? Have I had one emotion to myself since I saw you at training?”

The bartender cringed, each word a slap to the face that she knew she deserved but that didn’t make them any easier to take.

“Only once, I swear. Only that night that you went home crying and I came to you as a cat.”

“And you expect me to believe that? Even if I did believe it, how am I supposed to know if my believing you is actually me and not you making me believe you?”

The blonde was so angry tears escaped from her eyes and slipped down her face. She wiped them on her sleeve, the feeling of betrayal so prominent that Carmilla didn’t even notice Perry had come to stand in the doorway.

“Is everything alright?” she asked Laura, knowing the answer already.

“Can you take me home please Perry?” the blonde choked out.

“Of course honey, I will drive you home. Come with me.”

Perry spun and walked away, followed by Laura’s seething form.

“Laura wait…” the demon called, having no idea what to say but knowing she needed to try.

“No, don’t talk to me.” The server’s eyes flashed as she gave the brunette a cold glare over her shoulder, “We are done Carmilla.”

Those few words felt like a punch to her gut. She slumped over and as soon as she heard the doors close and the car drive away, tears began leaking down her cheeks. The demon bit the fleshy part of her thumb, trying in vain to keep her choked sobs from becoming audible.

She never could have imagined that there was pain worse than what she had experienced every second since she followed Elle’s body down into the depths of hell all those years ago.

She had been so very wrong.

-Danny-

Her entire body ached something fierce as she slowly lowered her body down the stairs one by one. Perry had left with Laura maybe five minutes ago and since the car was out of the driveway, she had been listening to Carmilla downstairs.

The angel had heard every word of their conversation and knew as well as Carmilla did that her last admission would be unforgiveable to Laura. There were so many things that had happened between the raven haired demon with an attitude problem and the angel who refused to give up throughout history, but within the past couple of centuries things had been changing. Even if they hadn’t shared the last fateful encounter all those years ago in Styria, Danny still wouldn’t have been able to listen to the broken demon without having some kind compassion.

The injuries were healing well and her head wound was almost gone, but her chest was still making it hard to exert herself even a little. Finally having reached the first floor without being noticed by the demon in the other room, she leaned against the wall to catch her breath.

Pushing herself more than she knew she should, (and was only able to do so because Perry wasn’t there to see her) Danny continued her trek into the living room where Carmilla was still oblivious to her presence.

The angel dropped herself unceremoniously into the chair she had occupied before, knowing that her grunt would alert the brunette to her presence. Carmilla’s head snapped up and immediately her expression changed. She wiped the evidence of any emotion from her face and sat up, doing a great job of pretending she hadn’t just been having any kind of emotional reaction.

“What do you want halo head? Did you come to gloat? Rub in my face that I, a demon, deserved this and should have seen it coming?” Her lip curled in a snarl, lashing out defensively, “Well save your breath, I already know. But watch your back, just because some girl joined the interminable list of people who hate me doesn’t mean I am not going to complete the mission I came here to do.”

“Oh my God, do you ever shut up? Or is the reason you have gone so long without being taken out because you don’t stop talking to let anyone try?”

The redhead was shocked when her little outburst actually silenced the great demon Carmilla, the one who never stopped sassing her no matter how many times the angel had died and come back.

“Now you are right, I have no idea what has happened to you since I last saw you. But even before then… EEEEEEEH! Let me talk.” Danny cut off whatever the bartender had been about to argue, “Even before the last time, hell for pretty much ever I have noticed it but I wasn’t sure. Last time eradicated any doubt I had. You may put on a tough guy façade, honestly it’s not just a façade, but you aren’t who you make everyone think you are.”

At this point, Carmilla had recovered from the shock of Danny being the dominant in the conversation for once and seemed to be actually listening to what she had to say.

“So correct me if I’m wrong, but we need to have a talk. Not angel to demon, but angel to former angel.”

The brunette let out a sigh but didn’t argue, she seemed to understand the severity of the situation.

“Good, so let’s just get right to it then…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let a sister know what you think! Any and all comments are appreciated!  
> **Follow me on tumblr, my inbox is always open! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/butiwilllove


	9. I'd Rather Choke Than To Breathe In Your Absence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Laura and Carmilla realize they do much better together than apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song: Private Fears In Public Places by Front Porch Step
> 
> I have found I hate keeping you all waiting when I end a chapter with angst so here you go, I hope you enjoy :)

-Laura-

She gave up on her hair, every time she would redo her ponytail the wind would pull the strands out almost before she tightened the elastic. She huffed and just accepted the fact that until she got to work and out of the never ending gusts, her hair was at the wind’s temperamental mercy.

_Just one more block, you’re almost there._

Extending her stride, Laura skipped up the ramp and onto the patio where the umbrellas in the middle of each table had been closed and as a result the area seemed emptier than usual. She finally made it inside with a sigh of relief and made a beeline for the bathroom to make some kind of order of her windblown hair. With her bike stolen and no money to replace it she had no choice but to walk to and from work which had only become a problem today due to the weather.

After almost ten minutes in front of the mirror struggling to tame her blonde locks, she gave up and threw it into a messy bun. After a second thought, she added a slim headband to keep the shorter hairs near her face from taking on a life of their own. Laura left the restroom, knowing she had done all that she could.

The server walked into the dining room and made her way into the back to clock in and get her station, making a point to look anywhere except at the bar. She watched the brunette’s gaze following her out of the corner of her eye as she strode by.

It had been nearly two weeks since they had gotten in the accident and the subsequent confession. She hadn’t said a word to Carmilla since then and had ignored countless texts, but that had left Laura’s willpower hanging on by threads.

She couldn’t help it, yes she was angry and felt deeply betrayed but she couldn’t deny that she and the newly outed demon had something between them that had held strong against the blow it had taken. Laura made it to the back outside the manager’s office and plopped down in one of the chairs that had been abandoned there. She put her face in her hand and sighed, staying away from the raven haired bombshell she had befriended was draining all of her energy.

“Hey there little server hottie,” Kirsch’s voice came out of nowhere, making Laura jump and clutch her hand to her heart to make sure it hadn’t stopped.

“God Kirsch! You just scared the bejesus out of me!”

His laugh was deep and seemed to reverberate around the small corner that passed as an employee area. “Sorry about that, didn’t mean to scare you. I saw you walk in and just wanted to come back and see how you are doing.”

“Well, besides the near death experience I just had I think I’m ok.”

The man’s smile fell and a serious expression took its place. He sat down on the chair next to Laura and turned to face her.

“Laura, I may be pretty dense at times but I have known you for like, my whole life. I can tell when something is wrong with you. What’s going on?”

The blonde turned her most convincing smile on her friend, “Nothing Kirsch, I’m fine. I promise.”

He sighed and gave Laura a knowing look. “Ok, but don’t think you’ve convinced me,” he stood up and fixed his apron that had rumpled when he sat down, “I am just leaving you alone until you are ready to tell me. And you know I’m always here for you, no matter what time of day or night. Heck, even if you interrupted me with a hottie I would be there for you.”

His genuine yet oh-so-Kirsch-like statement made the server smile for real, wondering how she had been so lucky to have a friend like him.

“Thanks Kirsch, I appreciate it.”

He shot her a smile before pushing through the swinging door that led to the bar. It had to have been either fate or some angelic sense, but Perry took that moment to appear.

“Hello Laura, I haven’t seen you in a while. You seem a little out of it.” The look she was giving Laura made it obvious that her question had a double meaning, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Thanks, but I think I’m okay right now. I guess it’s just a lot to… handle all at once, you know?”

The culinary manager/angel smiled, confirming that the conversation was more than small talk.

“I can understand that honey, it gets easier I promise. It’s a pretty big thing to have put on you but if you have any questions or need any advice just ask Danny or myself ok? We would both be happy to help you.”

“Thanks Perry, I will let you know.”

“Anything I can do to help.” With a smile, the woman turned and began walking back toward the line before pausing, “Oh, and Laura? Please keep this to yourself. As you can imagine, it isn’t something that anyone else needs to know.”

“Of course, you can trust me.” The blonde smiled and mimicked zipping her lips, turning a key, and throwing it away.

“Thank you, it is appreciated I assure you.”

With her message delivered, Perry returned to the line which seemed to be getting a little busy. After that, the night flew by pretty fast. The Fresh was slammed for a Monday and Laura didn’t have a moment to spend thinking about her broody bartender and their situation until the end of her shift.

In a stroke of luck she managed to slip out of the restaurant while Carmilla was distracted closing the bar. The blonde took a few steps but paused before she reached the end of the patio, tilting her head back and taking a deep breath. The wind had died and the evening sky was clear, allowing for the stars to be clearly visible.

_So, angels are a real thing. Does that mean heaven is somewhere up there? Maybe one of those stars is heaven. If so, then where would…_

“Laura! I’m glad we caught you!” Lafontaine’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Laura pivoted and saw Laf coming her way with Kirsch following in their wake.

“Kirsch and I were about to go grab a drink at Hemm’s, want to come along?”

Their voice was so hopeful that the server found herself agreeing even though all she wanted was to go home and curl up in bed.

“Sweet! We haven’t hung out just the three of us in entirely too long.” Kirsch fist pumped the air which made Laura and Lafontaine share identical looks and begin walking away from their embarrassing man-child.

As it turns out, Laura was glad that she had agreed to going out with her friends. They sat at the bar and joked and laughed and just hung out like they hadn’t in months. Eventually, Laf changed the subject just as Laura expected they would.

“So come on, we both know something has been wrong with you,” they began after giving Kirsch a look, “we aren’t blind. You and Carmilla were inseparable, and had a ‘more than friends’ look that, to be honest, everyone noticed. Also, side note; I do not recall you giving me any acknowledgement of any incidents nor any details which are what I am here for as your best non-male friend, but that is a conversation for another time. Back to the topic at hand, since Christmas in July you haven’t said a single word to her as far as we can tell. What’s going on?”

The server sighed, sitting back in her chair as she thought how to answer her friends.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try us, we might surprise you.” Lafontaine replied with Kirsch nodding his head in the background.

_Looks like avoiding won’t work, guess that just leaves vagueness._

“Ok fine, but don’t make a big deal about it ok?” their heads nodded vigorously in unison which would have made Laura laugh if she wasn’t so worried about slipping up.

“Well, it was the day after Christmas in July,” she stumbled with her words as she did her best to make the story accurate without telling them everything. “So we were just hanging out and we got to talking, right? It wasn’t anything too exciting but she admitted to something that happened back at the end of May. Turns out she did something to, well, manipulate me emotionally. She said it only happened once but it makes me question everything I’ve felt around and about her since we met, you know?”

Two thoughtful expressions greeted the end of her story, each seemingly considering the situation that had just been relayed to them.

Kirsch spoke up first, “Was she manipulating you into feeling a bad emotion like jealousy or something? I’m not saying that would excuse what she did, I’m just curious.”

The blonde opened her mouth to answer, but paused as she thought back. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

Two pairs of eyebrows went up in unison.

Laf put up their finger to Laura in the universal ‘hold on’ gesture, “Now back up just a moment, what do you know then?”

The server felt her face flush and her gaze immediately fell as she realized she didn’t have an answer for her friend.

“Well, honestly I only know that she admitted to messing with my emotions…”

Understanding where Lafontaine was going with this, Kirsch added his two cents, “So you don’t even know what she did?”

Her face burned as her friends waited for her answer, “I don’t know, but that’s not the point! The point is that she said she did and how can I be sure what I’m feeling around her now? How can I trust her after that?”

“After what?” Laf inserted quickly, “I am not defending her but you don’t even know what she did.”

“Why are you guys attacking me?” the blonde questioned defensively, “Aren’t friends supposed to defend each other whether or not they are right?”

“People who do that aren’t your friends.” Kirsch replied, glancing at Lafontaine to make sure he was in fact speaking for the both of them. They nodded and he continued, “You know that we are always behind you, but agreeing with you when you maybe aren’t right won’t help anyone except for your ego.”

“He’s right,” Lafontaine inserted, “we are here for you always. But you had better believe we care more about you being happy in the long term, even if it isn’t what you want to hear in the moment, than feeling a false sense of smugness for a day or two.”

Laura felt her defensiveness shrivel as she realized they were right. She let out a sigh, “Well, I feel like an idiot now…”

“Dude, no reason to be dramatic,” his smile was barely a warning to his hand that came down on her shoulder and almost knocked the little server off of her chair, “we know you would do the same thing for us.”

Laura returned his smile as she tried to rub feeling back into her arm, “So now that we have concluded that I am the jerk in this situation, what do I do? Carmilla probably hates me for ignoring her for the past like two weeks and I don’t blame her.”

They scoffed “Oh stop, she doesn’t hate you.”

“They’re right,” Kirsch added, “you may not have been talking to Carm-sexy but I have. I know she probably wouldn’t even admit it under torture, but she hasn’t been herself since Christmas in July either. You know when you two started hanging out was the first time I saw one of her genuine smiles? But since whatever this is happened between you, her smiles are forced and she gets this glimmer of hope in her eye that goes out every time you walk past her without a word.”

“Ok, now who is being dramatic?” the blonde rolled her eyes at the idea and laughed.

“He actually isn’t being dramatic.” Laf added matter-of-factly, “A tad poetic, but not dramatic. I’ve noticed it too.”

Her gaze moved back and forth between their faces looking for some hint of a joke and found none. The blonde hung her head and groaned, “Oh crap. How do I fix this?”

Lafontaine rolled their eyes dramatically at her reaction, “Dear God, is that a real question? You need to talk to her. You would be surprised how many problems wouldn’t even be problems if people just communicated.”

“Wait, like right now?” Laura asked in surprise.

“Of course not,” they laughed at the way her voice went up an octave, “do you have any idea how late it is?”

As if proving their point, one of the bartenders called out, “Okay everyone, last call!” There was a mass migration to the bar, crowding around the three friends.

“Come on,” Lafontaine addressed Laura, “Let’s get out of here. I think we have given you enough to think about for one night.” Kirsch and Lafontaine pulled out their wallets to pay their tabs and when Laura went to grab her money a hand landed on hers, “Oh stop, you only had soda. Don’t worry about it, I’ve got you covered.”

The blonde smiled at her friend thankfully and stood up as they paid their tabs. The three slipped through the people trying to get their last drinks of the night and out onto the boardwalk.

“Are you going to be okay?” Kirsch asked, giving Laura a friendly bump that as usual nearly sent her flying due to their differing sizes. The blonde was sure that an overgrown puppy was the perfect analogy for Kirsch, neither realize how big they are and subsequently don’t know their own strength. Not to mention the loyalty and the eagerness and the puppy dog eyes… Ok, he was basically a human puppy.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just need to make a choice of which form of groveling I will need to use to get Carmilla to forgive me.” She instantly regretted her choice of words when a shit-eating grin broke out over his face.

“I find that on your knees in front of her always works when a lady friend is upset with me; I have a feeling that method will work just as well for you.”

The slap echoed in the dark, followed by an indignant “Dude!” that was quickly swallowed by laughter. The trio made their way along the boardwalk in the light of the star filled sky, chatting and joking the way they always did.

-Carmilla-

She had turned her back for a moment to restock the beer cooler and when she looked back, she caught a glimpse of blonde as the patio door shut behind her.

_What else did you expect? You fucked up, it’s your own fault._

The demon swallowed the sob she had luckily caught in her throat before it became audible.

_I didn’t fuck up, I’m a demon. I work for the literal personification of evil._

_Oh yeah? You sure are acting like it._

_What the fuck is that supposed to mean?_

_Look at yourself! You very nearly CRIED! Over some human!_

_She isn’t just some human…_

_Did you really just say that? And you wonder what I meant…_

_Ok, so what do you suggest I do then?_

_You are a demon. Act. Like. One._

The brunette was getting sick and tired of the attitude she was giving herself, the realization of which made her stop and honestly question her sanity.

_You know what? Fuck it._

The demon took her cell out of her pocket and typed out a quick text to Will.

Carmilla (11:23 pm): _Heads up loser, be at The Fresh in 10. We are going clubbing in Central._

Will (11:24 pm): _Be there in 5_

She slipped the phone back into her pocket and finished closing the bar. By the time she clocked out and walked out the door it had been four minutes. She knew she was being an asshole but she hoped that Will would be late so she could yell at him for something. To her chagrin, the young demon was leaning against her new jeep with a smirk on his face.

She walked past him without even acknowledging his presence and climbed into the car, the exact same make, model, and color of the jeep laying somewhere on the ocean floor about a hundred miles up the coast. Unfazed, he walked around to the passenger side and slid in at the last second before the jeep jerked backwards. The tires squealed as she tore away and headed in the direction of the freeway.

“Oh, and I grabbed you some clothes to change into. Unless of course you plan on going to the club in your work uniform.”

His smug smile didn’t last long, wiped off his face when Carmilla swerved sharply so that a low hanging branch hit him directly in the face.

_Well, if I can’t yell at him I can at least enjoy putting him in his place._

They pulled up to the curb less than a block away from the club in record time. The line of people waiting to get in all craned their heads to see who got out of the jeep that had left skid marks on the pavement where it had turned and slid into an impossible spot. Carmilla knew the only way to get her mind off of Laura was to throw herself headfirst into what she was here to do in the first place, so that’s what exactly what she did.

The demon stepped out of the jeep and immediately began to strip, the neon lights from window signs advertising all kinds of alcohol illuminated her skin and giving everyone a show. Will reached in the back seat and tossed her a light green, skintight shirt that she threw on and buttoned up slowly. Then she slowly undid her pants and stepped out of them, the familiar feeling of all consuming lust and envy saturating the air around her.

Carmilla pulled on her barely there black shorts that had the pockets visibly hanging longer than the actual legs. She glanced seductively towards the crowd as she stepped into her knee high boots which were ironically the article of clothing that covered the most skin. Grinning at the simplicity of humans and their desires, the demon reached into her car and clasped a wide leather bracelet with metal studs onto her left wrist and ran her hand through the raven locks.

“Are you ready Kitty?” Will’s smirk was audible.

“You do realize that you are the monkey I’m training and not the other way around?” she replied with an edge.

“Ow, save your claws for later. I have a feeling there are quite a few people here that are into that.”

They made their way past the bouncer with a nod of recognition and right into the mass of bodies dancing and grinding to the beat. The music was mind-numbingly loud which exactly the way Carmilla liked it. The demons made their way to the bar, downing shots with several people obviously hoping to get lucky. The strobe lights danced around the room and the smell of sweat and sex was everywhere.

With a glance, the brunette let her charge know it was time to begin making their way to the dancefloor. They slid through the crowd closer to the speakers; the bass making the very blood in their veins vibrate with the deep bass.

She let herself get lost in the music, dancing with men and women alike. Carmilla began grinding against Will, the idea sickening to her but this was part of her mission and apparently this is something the onlookers liked. His hands went to her hips, holding her against him which made the people around them trying to get lucky go crazy with lust.

_Humans are some seriously sick creatures…_

She pivoted, now face to face with Will as the bodies around them pushed and pulled them to the music. He simply nodded at the look she gave him and they split, each demon melting into the gyrating bodies around them.

The people following them since they had entered also split going after whichever sibling they were more interested in. It was disgusting how easy it was to lure humans in. Carmilla had barely turned away from Will when two guys were dancing on either side of her, their intentions so obvious that their aura was almost tangible.

As she tried to make her way away from these dude-bros, a glimpse of blonde caught her eye. There was a girl dancing near the outskirts of the floor who bore an uncanny resemblance to she-who-she-mustn’t-think-about.

_Who gives a fuck? It isn’t her, that’s all that matters._

The brunette managed to slip away from the two hormonal frat boys and made her way to an obviously intoxicated girl who wasn’t even trying to hide her desire. It didn’t take much to have the girl dancing with her.

Carmilla lost herself in the motions, so familiar to her after so long. The girl turned and pushed her butt into the bartender’s hips, moving in a way that even a blind person would call sex if there was even one less layer of clothing between them.  She glimpsed Will exiting the club with at least two girls in tow, and if she wasn’t mistaken a very good looking man as well.

Following his example the demon grabbed the girl trying to make a hole in her shorts with her ass and gestured to the door. The blonde nodded enthusiastically and Carmilla pulled her toward the exit, convincing herself that once she had the girl alone she would forget Laura in favor of the very hot girl she was about to hook up with.

They walked down the sidewalk, the drunk girl’s hands roaming wherever they could. Annoyed with the persistent contact, the brunette knew if she waited to get them to a bed she would end up killing the girl before fucking her.

Carmilla pulled the girl into an alley and pushed her against the wall, finally allowing her hands to roam over her body. The demon put everything she had into kissing this girl, trying to lose herself in the give and take of sex.

It didn’t even last a minute before the bartender realized this wasn’t going to work. This girl’s lips were chapped and her breath smelled of alcohol and cheap cigarettes. The sounds she made were obnoxious and fake. Acrylic painted nails adorned the tips of her fingers and her hands weren’t hesitant or unsure of themselves as they would be if they were making their way across a girl’s body for the first time. There were so many reasons why this entire situation felt wrong, but the brunette knew it all boiled down to one thing.

She wasn’t Laura.                                                                         

_This isn’t working, why did I think this would help?_

The demon pulled away from the blonde, having to remove her hands from her body when the girl clung to her like a drunken suction cup. She could practically hear a wacky animated pop when she finally managed to detach their bodies completely and the girl pouted, sticking her lip out like a child.

“What’s the matter baby? Come here and let me show you a good time…” she lost her balance and fell back against the wall which had Carmilla’s eyes rolling of their own accord.

_Dear God I hope I wasn’t like this when Laura was taking care of my drunk ass._

She snorted as the woman tried to take a step towards her and almost face-planted on the cement.

“I don’t think you could show me a good time even if you were sober,” the brunette quipped, gently placing the girl on the ground before she could hurt herself.

“Awwww, come on. You…” she hiccupped making her entire body jump, “won’t know until you try.”

Her attempts to seduce the demon were laughable when she was sitting on the ground, leaning over more and more each second.

“Then I guess we won’t know, come on.” She reached down and hooked her hands under the blonde’s arms, pulling her to stand. She held her against her body and helped the slumping form to walk out of the alley where she hailed a cab. Carmilla opened the door and folded the girl who was still trying to remove her shirt into the seat and buckled her seatbelt.

“Where to sweetheart, I don’t have all night.” The grumpy driver looked over his shoulder at the brunette who was obviously not coming along for the ride.

“Hey cutie,” she purred to the blonde who was held up only by the seatbelt, “maybe we can take this back to your place. What’s your address?”

She visibly perked up, reciting an address across town.

“Did you get that?” the bartender asked the cab driver who nodded, already writing the address in a notebook he had retrieved from the passenger seat.

“Good, take her there and make sure she gets in safely. This should cover it.”

The demon handed the driver a hundred dollar bill and his attitude changed dramatically at this new monetary development. His smile confirmed that the girl would get in safely as she had asked.  Carmilla closed the door and the cab pulled away, the inebriated woman pressing her face against the window looked like someone had just kicked her puppy.

The demon turned and berated herself internally, knowing this was definitely not good.

_Did I really just do that? What the hell is wrong with me?_

_Well let’s see, where would I even begin…_

_Oh shut up_

_Why would I do that? You obviously have a problem. Let me help._

_Let you help? And how exactly do you plan on helping me?_

_By telling you what you don’t want to admit. You are in love with Laura and that isn’t going anywhere._

_Oh, now you are for Laura? What happened to ‘you’re a demon so act like one’?_

_I am literally you, so you are going to have to answer to that one for yourself._

_Jesus, if I didn’t think I was off my rocker before…_

Carmilla wandered back into the alley to allow herself some privacy to pace. She obviously wasn’t able to do her job if every time she looked at a girl she thought of Laura. The brunette’s emotions were everywhere, confused and hurt, angry and tired. She only realized she had punched a hole in the brick wall when she smelled the distinct coppery scent and felt liquid trickling down her fist.

She glanced down to see a fairly large puddle of blood just to her right. Coming back to her senses, she tried to flex her hand and could feel it had been broken in about three places. She groaned when she saw the obvious hole in front of her, there was no fixing that. The brunette pulled her phone carefully out of her pocket and awkwardly typed out a message to Will.

Carmilla (1:32 am): _I’m leaving, catch your own ride home_

Will (1:34 am): _Wow already? That’s fast even for you…_

The bartender decided to not even grace that with an answer since she was so tired she wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up killing him as she tried to ask where he was. The demon’s eyes were drooping as she made her way back to her jeep, not caring where Will was or how he would get home.  She started the engine and drove away, already imagining the way her bed would feel to her aching muscles.

As the jeep sped out of sight, a figure detached itself from the shadows with a grin plastered on its face.

“My my, how the mighty fall…” it laughed to itself before disappearing once more into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Follow me on tumblr, my inbox is always open! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/butiwilllove


	10. You've Got One Hand On The Devil Baby And One Hand In Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we learn a bit more about Carmilla, but more importantly, the two idiots make up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song: Where We Belong by Thriving Ivory
> 
> I promised you all that I wouldn't make you wait for this chater so here you go. However I'm curious, will you all hate me more for the angsty endings of the previous chapters or for this one? Feel free to let me know in the comments :D

-Laura-

She was a mess of nerves all day. Never before had Laura been so excited and so hesitant about going to work.

She had taken everything her friends had said to heart and was more aware than ever that she owed Carmilla an apology. The blonde was watching the clock all day as she tried to think of what she should say. All of the scenarios she had come up with went straight out the window when she got to work and was immediately slammed.

JP and Carmilla were behind the bar and Kirsch had been called in as well. The floor was full, a line went out the door and each server was taking extra tables out of their sections. This went on all night until 10:30 when Lafontaine had to shut the doors because they closed in a half hour and they were still sporting a forty-five minute wait. Laura was flabbergasted to say they least, was there some kind of fair in town that no one had told her about?

It was after midnight and they were down to about two tables each, everyone cleaning and doing what side work they could in the little bits of free time they had while still attending to their guests. Laura dropped her checks and filled her condiments as she waited for them to pay. Once she had gotten her money and checks in order she headed to the back to roll her silverware in a hurry to catch a certain raven haired bartender but was stopped by a grinning Lafontaine.

“No you don’t, Carmilla is about to leave and I know you want to talk to her. I’ll do your silverware and finish your station, go cash out and catch her before she leaves.”

“Have I told you yet today how much I love you?” the blonde asked rhetorically as she gave them a one armed hug before dashing off to cash out station.

“Nope! But at this point I know it’s implied! Good luck!”

Laura cashed and clocked out in record time, removing her apron as she flew out the door to the dining room. Her eyes made quick work of searching the bar but only saw Kirsch and JP joking as they cleaned.

“Kirsch! Where is Carmilla?” the server asked, trying and failing to seem nonchalant.

“Just missed her little hottie, she walked out the door about a minute ago.”

“Poop, thanks! See you later!” Laura called over her shoulder since she was already running to the door.

She whipped through the patio and around to the ramp where the headlights of the jeep slowly started pulling out.

“Wait! Carmilla!” She shouted, barreling down the semi-steep decline.

Almost before first sound had even left her mouth, the jeep halted. She slowed to a stop in front of the car, hit by sudden uncertainty that froze her in place.

_Oh come on, girl the hell up Hollis!_

One foot in front of the other, the blonde made her way around to the driver’s side where she saw the oh so familiar face of Carmilla once she had made it past the blinding headlights. She stopped next to the bartender and felt her throat close, suddenly unsure of what to say.

“Can I help you creampuff?” her voice was clipped, obviously hiding whatever she was feeling.

“Hey Carm,” Laura looked into the darkness and began playing with her hair, trying to force the words out of her mouth, “ummm, would you maybe like to take a walk with me?” One perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose, “You don’t have to obviously, I was just wondering. I understand if you don’t want to, I wouldn’t either if I were you. I just thought maybe…”

“Cutie, calm down.” The sound of her voice felt like a warm hug after a bad day, “Of course I will take a walk with you. Give me a moment.”

“Oh yeah, sure, absolutely, that’s cool.” The blonde stammered, kicking herself for reverting to her stuttering ways.

Carmilla pulled the jeep forward back into the parking space and killed the engine, leaving spots in Laura’s eyes with the sudden loss of the headlights. The bartender removed the key from the ignition and swung her legs out of the car.

“So, where are we walking?”

“Uhhh, I was thinking just along the beach?” the server was panicking now; none of her scenarios included a moonlit walk along the beach. She was absolutely not prepared for this.

“Sure, sounds like a plan.” The demon began walking up the ramp and Laura followed her, wondering if there was any way this could go well.

The night was beautiful. The lack of sunlight had cooled the air and a small breeze coming off of the ocean played with their hair. Once they reached the sand, both girls removed their shoes and held them as they strolled along. Laura began walking towards the water with Carmilla following, both unsure of how to start the conversation they knew was coming. The blonde turned right when they reached the water and the women walked side by side for a minute or two until she built up the courage to break the silence.

“Carm, I just wanted to say I’m so sorry.” This seemed to be the last thing the brunette expected to hear. She opened her mouth to argue but Laura cut her off, “No, let me finish. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. I didn’t give you any chance to explain yourself and I don’t even know what you did because I never gave you a chance to answer. So I want to give you that chance now to finish what I didn’t let you two weeks ago because it’s obvious I know nothing about what is going on.”

“I can’t believe you are apologizing to me,” Carmilla managed to get out after a small silence, “I tell you that I am a demon, literally from hell, and you are sorry about how you reacted?”

“Well yeah, why wouldn’t I?”

“Because I’m a demon and I do bad things. That’s literally why I exist, to make trouble.”

The blonde scoffed, “Well that’s a little dramatic, but let’s not get sidetracked. You said you manipulated my aura only once right? Could you tell me why?”

“Of course, I’ll answer any question you have for me.” The look Carmilla gave her was enough to have Laura believing that those words didn’t have an expiration date. “Remember on Memorial Day we had that party on the beach?”

“Of course, it was right after that you started talking to me.”

“Yes, well it was that night. I’m not sure how much the divine duo told you but…”

“They haven’t told me anything. I haven’t really talked to them or you since…that day.”

“Oh, right okay. Well, we have heightened senses compared to humans. Angels, and demons too, can hear, see, and smell better than any other living thing.”

The brunette’s mouth turned up in a small smile, “But I digress. It was after I left you and Kirsch but I had heard your conversation and I pulled over when I felt your aura take a turn for the worse. So I changed into a cat and followed you home. I saw you on your bed and it was tearing my heart out watching you cry alone. So I went in and just opened the flood gates a little… It was obvious you had been bottling things up and I didn’t want you to be alone for that so I let it all out while I was there.”

“Wait, why did you do that?”

“Do what?” Carmilla’s head turned in confusion, “open your emotions? Because they were…”

“No no no, I meant why did you care?” Laura pouted in thought, “Before that night you barely looked at me twice, I think you said a total of ten words to me. Why did you care about me and what I was feeling if you barely noticed me?”

The demon scoffed, “Barely noticed you? Creampuff, I couldn’t keep my mind off of you. It took every ounce of willpower I possessed to stay away from you because I knew if I didn’t you would get hurt, someone always gets hurt. The first time I saw you when I walked in late to that first staff meeting, I can’t even describe what happened. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest and my mouth went dry and…”

“…And it felt like your entire world had shrunk and your whole life had been leading to that moment?” The blonde’s voice was barely a whisper, her entire body screamed uncertainty and disbelief as she looked up slowly to the astonished brunette’s face.

“Exactly… How did you know?”

Something about Carmilla’s expression was making heat rise to Laura’s cheeks.

“Because,” she started slowly, each word clear, “that’s exactly the way I felt when I first saw you walk through that door.”

Carmilla’s breath caught as she registered just what the server was saying.

“Carm,” the blonde reached out and touched the demon’s arm making her look up and their gazes held, “Thank you so much, for helping me that night.”

A humorless laugh was Carmilla’s response, “Thank you? Laura, you don’t get it. When a demon messes with someone’s aura they leave a mark. Any angelic being can see that you have been touched by a demon.  I justified not staying away from you so that I could protect you from anything that came after you because of what I did.”

“Oh hush,” Laura brushed off the demon’s admission, “stop blaming yourself for things that don’t warrant blame.”

“Don’t warrant blame?” the demon’s voice went up an octave, “Laura, because of me you are walking around with a demonic version of a target on your back. How does that not warrant blame?”

“Because yes, it wasn’t under the most desired of circumstances but to me it was great because it meant I got to spend time with you. I will take being marked by a demon and having you any day of the week.”

“You really are the most amazing woman I have ever met Laura Hollis.” Carmilla looked into the girl’s brown eyes with such feeling it had Laura blushing.

The server looked around them, looking for something to lighten the serious tone their conversation had taken. They had gotten pretty far as they talked, she could make out where the beach officially ended only about one hundred yards away. However beyond the fence and the signs that warned anyone thinking about continuing to think again, the terrain began to rise. The hill went up for a good ways and before rounding out at the top which was littered with large rocks and boulders, creating a forest-like effect.

“See that hill?” the server nodded ahead of them and Carmilla nodded. “Race you to the top!”

She took off with a laugh, spraying sand behind her. She hopped over the fence in one bound and scrambled up the hill. Halfway up, she began swerving around the rocks in her way instead of simply jumping over them since higher up the hill the rocks became boulders. Out of breath but triumphant, Laura reached the top and turned expecting to see the bartender trailing her but instead saw no one.

“Looking for me Cutie?”

Her head snapped around to see Carmilla sitting on one of the boulders a little ways in, not a hair out of place nor a drop of sweat on her brow. Laura’s mouth opened and closed, not a sound was emitted.

“Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound,” the demon’s eyes twinkled in the starlight as she leaned forward, “not entirely sure what that is in reference to but besides the leaping tall buildings it applies to us as well.”

“Wait,” the blonde bent in half trying to catch her breath, “you are super strong and super-fast too? Is there anything you can’t do?”

“More than you know Sundance… And don’t bend over. Stand up straight and put your hands behind your head, it will open up your lungs and make it easier to breathe.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like,” the brunette hopped off of the boulder and walked over to the wheezing server, “stand up. It will hurt at first but then you will be able to breathe better.”

“Not that!” Laura slowly stood and interlocked her fingers behind her head, “I meant the cryptic and creepy ‘more than you know Sundance’.”

Carmilla laughed at the blonde’s deep voiced impression, “It’s a long story.”

“Well ‘Sundance’, I have time,” her breathing slowly getting under control, Laura walked further into the maze of boulders and leaned against one of the rocks, “and your reference was to Superman.”

“Superman? What the holy hell is a Superman?”

The blonde’s eyes widened comically, “Ok, how can you reference something and not even know what you’re referencing? You know what? I’ll let that pass because I have a lot of questions for you.”

“Well then shoot, I have time. I will answer any questions you have.”

“Do you think I could see your wings?” The demon froze at the suggestion making Laura backpedal immediately, “You don’t have to. Forget I asked….”

“Laura stop, it’s alright. Of course you can see my wings.” The demon seemed to find her courage again and gave her a smile. “I am going to need a little space first though.”

“Oh right, of course sorry!” Laura backed up with a smile that was both apologetic and excited. That immediately dropped however when she watched Carmilla reach for the hem of her shirt and pull it over her head in one practiced move. “Oh my god Carm!” she covered her eyes as a blush rose to her cheeks, “What are you doing???”

She heard the woman chuckle, “You are adorable. Shirts aren’t exactly made for giant wings to be coming out of a girl’s back, so I have to take it off unless I want to ruin it.”

“Oh, I guess you’re right…” Laura slowly moved her hands from her eyes and her cheeks got even more red.

Carmilla was standing in front of her in that same black lace bra she had been wearing all those weeks ago, drunk and unable to dress herself in the blonde’s room. Her belly was perfectly toned and there was even a ‘V’ disappearing into her pants like you would see on male models only this one was even better and had conveniently turned Laura’s brain to mush.

“Cutie,” fingers snapped in front of the waistband of her uniform pants where the blonde’s gaze had stopped, “my eyes are up here.” Carmilla’s fingers pointed to her face as she smiled at the obvious effect she was having on Laura.

“Huh? Oh yeah, right sorry.”

_You are a stammering idiot Hollis, get yourself together!_

The demon’s smile was humorous and her eyes twinkled in the light from the stars. She rolled her shoulders as if simply stretching and closed her eyes. As though by magic, Laura saw giant black wings slowly and gracefully unfold themselves from her back.

Her jaw dropped as she took in the enormous wings now folding themselves behind her. They looked like the wings you would see on angels from a church painting, feathered and muscular, primed for flight. However these wings were jet black, a match to the hair on her head. The light coming from the nearly full moon made them glow, making this already surreal sight that much more incredible.

-Carmilla-

The sweet relief that always came with releasing her wings washed over her, momentarily quelling the hesitation she had about showing them to Laura. She opened her eyes slowly, suddenly unsure about how Laura would react to this sight.

She shouldn’t have worried.

The blonde’s eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open as she tried to take in what she was seeing.

“Carm.” she began, taking a hesitant step closer to the bartender, “Carm they are beautiful.”

Carmilla laughed awkwardly, not really knowing how to respond to a human’s first glimpse of angelic wings, let alone one she cared so deeply about.

Laura stopped in front of her and glanced back into her eyes, “Carm, you are beautiful.”

Carmilla felt herself blush and she glanced to her right, imagining what Laura must be seeing. Her wings were currently folded up behind her so she stretched them out to either side, working each muscle that had tightened during their imprisonment.

The blonde in front of her gasped and she snapped them back to her side, worried that she had somehow scared her.

“No, it’s ok,” Laura spoke softly, still awestruck, “I was just admiring them.” The brunette slowly lengthened them again, giving the server what she had asked for. “Wow, these have to be at least ten feet long each!”

Innocently, the blonde reached out towards her left wing. Carmilla snapped her appendage out of reach on instinct, flinching away from the outstretched hand which pulled back in reaction to the sudden movement.

A horrified look took over Laura’s face and aura, realizing she had crossed some kind of line.

“Oh. My. God. Carmilla I am so sorry I shouldn’t have done that. Oh God I should have asked they just look so soft and I was curious and…”

“Laura stop.” Her rambling apology immediately halted and she regarded the demon with the most adorable puppy dog eyes the demon had ever seen. “It wasn’t you I promise, you just took me by surprise.”

“I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you or anything.”

“You didn’t… well you did but not why you think. It’s part of that ‘long story’ I mentioned earlier.”

Her face softened, understanding filling her eyes. The demon straightened herself and brought her right wing forward toward the blonde.

“Of course you can touch my wing, but please be careful. Our wings are extremely sensitive.” Carmilla gave the server a smile hoping to reassure her but she remained still, her eyes never leaving the wing that was being held out to her.

The demon sighed and reached out, grasping her hand and softly pressing it to the dark feathers.

Laura took a deep breath when Carmilla’s hand let go of hers, “Are you sure about this?”

“Yes Cupcake, I’m sure.”

The hand slowly and softly stroked her wing, moving in the direction the feathers flowed. As moments passed without any cringing, the server gained some confidence and she brought her hand up to once again brush down the avionic appendage.

A smile grew on her face that Carmilla mirrored, their eyes on each other. She did her best to suppress the effects she was feeling but they were too strong. Each feather light touch sent a bolt of pure pleasure straight downwards, the soft, kind caresses lulling her into a state of relaxation. The demon shuddered, her wings shaking along with her body which made Laura jump back. “Did I hurt you? I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to…”

“Laura,” her voice was gravelly as she tried to calm the excited girl, “You didn’t hurt me.”

Laura’s voice rose an octave, “Then why did you shudder like that?”

“Because, my wings are extremely sensitive.” She gave the blonde a knowing look, yet brown eyes continued to stare at her uncomprehending.

_Of course she is going to make me spell it out for her._

The demon rolled her eyes, “You were turning me on.”

As she watched, Laura’s cheeks turned bright red and her aura took on a very interested feel. “Oh! Oh….”

“Yeah…”

“So when you say sensitive…”

“I mean very sensitive.” The brunette finished for her, “But not only that way. Our wings are like a human’s heart, they are absolutely essential to our survival. We can survive injury to our heart or brain or other major organs and heal but if we sustain major damage to our wings? That is pretty much all that will kill us.”

“Wow really?” Laura’s aura was shouting curiosity, “That’s so interesting!”

Carmilla smiled at her enthusiasm, “I guess you could say that. It certainly lengthens our life span which is definitely more useful for us demons than for the angels.”

“Why do you say that?” the blonde asked thoughtfully as she reached her hand out once again to feel the regal black wings but stopped when she noticed a protrusion hidden by the feathers, “Wait, what’s this?”

_Of course she has to be observant, because why not?_

“Well, you’re going to have to choose one question at a time.” The demon laughed, buying herself precious time to think of an answer.

“Ok, then the first one.”

Laura was thankfully too preoccupied with the defect on her wing and the smaller, surrounding scar tissue to notice the grimace Carmilla was making.

“Well, like I said our wings are our lives. If our wings are damaged beyond repair then we die, only we don’t die the same way. When angels die, they are reborn I guess you could say. They return to heaven with a new body but with no memory of anything that happened before their death. Because of this they are raised and retrained from scratch before being sent back here.”

Laura must have noticed the partial evasion because she paused her examination and looked the bartender in the eye, “So then what happens to demons when they die?”

Carmilla gulped, losing herself in the brown eyes set on her. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Nothing. We just vanish, poof!” she flicked her fingers out from her palms, mimicking tiny explosion as she said it.

She had Laura’s full attention now.

“Just ‘poof’?” the blonde copied her hand motion, “What is that supposed to mean?”

Her distressed tone nearly made the demon choke up, “We just cease to exist. Any trace of our existence is scrubbed from human memory. If we aren’t completely erased then we become that faceless person whose name you can’t remember. You know those historical mysteries that no one can solve? They were caused by demons who have since died and were forgotten. You know the lost colony of Roanoke? That was this kid Jason who died not long after because he decided to stretch his wings when a Cherokee hunting party was in the area…”

“Hold on,” Laura interrupted the tangent that Carmilla was hoping would distract her, “If an arrow can destroy a demon, then how do you have scars on your wings? Wouldn’t that kind of damage kill you?”

“Not the way Mother does it…” Carmilla looked down, evading the shocked look she knew was in Laura’s eyes.

“But why…?” the blonde asked disbelievingly.

“Because I was disobedient,” now Carmilla’s eyes met the server’s, “it was my punishment, and that wouldn’t be very effective if I died now would it?”

Laura let out an audible gasp, obviously horrified at what she was implying to her. Suddenly she was wrapped in a giant hug from the tiny girl, cheek to cheek she felt Laura squeeze her tightly.

“Oh Carm…”

She couldn’t stand the pity she knew she would find in the server’s eyes so she broke the embrace and turned, walking across the little clearing.

“So now you know I guess,” the bartender said over her shoulder, “I’m not the person you thought I was. I’m just a broken pawn in my Mother’s game, only here to make people’s lives hell…”

The demon went to sit down against a boulder but was stopped when Laura quickly closed the space between them and kissed her.

The blonde had never been one to initiate anything, but for some reason she chose now to begin. She backed the bartender up against another of the boulders that formed a natural barrier to any prying eyes and held her there with the lightest of touches. Surprised, Carmilla smiled and returned the kiss.

Laura tangled her fingers into the demon’s raven locks and kissed her harder, doing everything she could to communicate how little she cared about everything Carmilla seemed so ashamed of. A breathy moan from the blonde made Carmilla very conscious of the wetness creeping between her legs.

The server pulled away slightly and whispered “Carm?”

“Hmmm?”

“You know, it’s getting a little late. Maybe we should make our way back?”

Exhaling slowly, the demon gazed into her human’s eyes and saw only warmth and understanding. She nodded in agreement but when she tied to move, the blonde held her there.

“Carmilla, I know that was probably really hard for you to admit. I know scars aren’t only skin deep and it’s the ones you can’t see that hurt more, so thank you for trusting me.”

Unexpected happiness choked the brunette who responded by ever so gently kissing the girl in front of her, doing everything she could to convey what she was feeling at that moment.

When they parted, Carmilla whispered “Thank you” as she slid out from between Laura and the boulder.

With a shrug of her shoulders, her wings retracted and she was once again simply a human without a shirt.

The silence was broken only by the sound of the waves crashing on the beach and it felt deafening to Carmilla who had just admitted to the girl what she had told no one. She reached down for her shirt and pulled it on in one practiced motion.

“Ready?” she asked, turning back to Laura who was still looking at her as though she was witnessing a miracle.

The girl jumped, “Oh yeah, definitely.”

When the blonde reached her and they began their descent down the hill, a warm hand wiggled its way into hers. Her heart jumped into her throat with happiness and she squeezed their joined hands in response.

_How did I get so lucky to meet this beautiful dork?_

They walked silently down the beach, hand in hand and comfortable simply enjoying the presence of the other once again. It felt like mere seconds when they reached The Fresh and made their way up the boardwalk and back down to the jeep.

“Can I give you a ride home?” Carmilla asked offhandedly, hoping for a little more time with the little blonde.

“Of course,” her smile was so bright that the bartender wondered how she had managed to stay away from her for so long.

They rode in silence, their hands still joined over the gear shift. Carmilla pulled up to the curb in front of Laura’s house and put the jeep in park before turning to her passenger. She was met with lips on hers making her smile as she reciprocated, deepening the kiss.

There was an air of urgency to their embrace and it had the demon pulling away as she breathed heavily.

“Laura, if we keep going you will be getting that ‘more’ you wanted sooner rather than later.”

“Uuuuuugh” the blonde groaned, “fine. But only because my dad is here.”

She motioned to the truck in the driveway to make her point.

“Cupcake, I’m not going anywhere I promise. I will be here whenever you want this ‘more’ you keep talking about.” She grinned at the way Laura was looking at her lips and so obviously trying to figure just how much her dad would kill her if she tried anything under his roof.

The level-headed side of her must have won out because she leaned forward and gave the demon a peck. “Ok, but text me when you get home.”

“Anything for you Cutie.” She gave her a wink which made the server smile.

“Goodnight Carm, see you tomorrow?”

“Just try and stop me.”

Carmilla knew she was laying it on thick but she couldn’t help it, she was honestly just so happy that they were back on speaking (and kissing) terms.

Laura hopped out and made her way up to her porch, blowing a kiss before she shut the door behind her.

_I don’t know what I did right in my God forsaken life to deserve her but I’m glad I did it._

She was sporting a stupid smile the entire ride home. Once she had gotten into her room and lay down on her bed it was almost 2 o’clock in the morning. Her eyes were beginning to close of their own accord when her phone let out a chirp signaling an incoming text message from Laura.

Laura (2:13 am): _Did you make it home safely?_

Carmilla smiled at the concern that the blonde had for her, something she had never experienced before.

Carmilla (2:15 am): _Yeah sorry, I’m home safe_

She lay down on her bed and rested her phone on her stomach, debating just how important changing into her pajamas could possibly be, when her phone chirped, once again emitting the blonde's personal text tone. She brought the text message onto the screen, not really paying too much attention until the content of the text made it through to her brain.

The demon shot up to sit on her bed, staring at the screen as she read and reread the text just to make sure she was getting it right. She typed out a quick reply, sending it before she stood and made her way eagerly back out into the early morning darkness with an excited smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so stinking much for the comments you have been leaving, they may take ten seconds or ten minutes but each and every one makes me smile.  
> **Follow me on tumblr, my inbox is always open! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/butiwilllove


	11. Your Skin Upon My Skin Would Be The Sweetest Sin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which *ehem* Bow-chicka-bow-wow!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song: Sweetest Sin by Jessica Simpson (talk about a throwback am I right?)
> 
> First of all, I am sorry for posting then taking this chapter away a couple days ago. I realized after it was up that I forgot to put something in.  
> Second, I have never written a scene like this before so I hope I didn't screw it up.

-Laura-

Laura (2:17 am): _Come back? My dad just left for work and I’m craving a little more of you tonight…_

Since pressing the send button, Laura couldn’t stop berating herself for even thinking of saying anything like that.

_Oh God she probably thinks I’m an idiot, fantastic._

All of her self-scrutiny disappeared as she watched Carmilla’s nimble form sneak through the window, the moonlight giving her an unearthly glow as she stepped quietly into the light shining from the reading lamp on her night stand.

“You rang?” The demon smirked at Laura, her eyes taking their sweet time travelling over the length of her body.

“You do realize that you could have just walked through the door, my dad left remember?” She sat up and swung her legs over the side of her bed.

“Yeah but where is the fun in that?” A grin split the demon’s face as she made her way over to the bed, “So what can I do you for? Tuck you in? Read you a bedtime story?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, you know exactly why I asked you to come back.” The server felt her cheeks heat up, unsure of herself in the vastly unfamiliar territory she was entering.

The demon’s face morphed into a borderline predatory smile, leaning forward toward Laura with an amused look in her eye. “You have the feel of someone who just jumped out of a plane, your heart is beating a mile a minute.”

_Dear God, this is taking entirely too long._

The blonde reached out and cupped her smiling face, pulling the brunette in and kissing her. Laura knew that Carmilla already knew what she was feeling because of her aura but that didn’t stop the blonde from using her lips to tell her again and again.

She felt weight press down on her as the demon climbed onto the bed and straddled her lap, never once breaking the kiss. The experienced hands caressed her face and oh so slowly began tracing their way down her neck before stopping in their tracks.

Carmilla pulled back from the kiss breathing heavily and looked directly into her eyes.

“Laura, are you sure about this?”

The only answer she got was two hands pulling her head forward to reunite their lips excitedly. Laura separated their mouths to use her tongue to trace the lips nibbling at hers and elicited a heady moan from the woman on top of her. She went to bring them together again but Carmilla was making a trail down the side of her neck, nipping and licking in a way that had the blonde seeing stars.

Fingers toyed with the hem of Laura’s pajama shirt before slipping underneath. In that moment, the demon’s lips began sucking on her pulse point as she reached Laura’s bra. The server had no idea which one of them was responsible for the wanton moan she emitted.

Honestly she didn’t care.

Laura tilted her head back, baring her neck to Carmilla and whatever she chose to do which just so happened to be trailing her tongue back up her neck where she began nibbling on her ear.

She shuddered as pure pleasure made a beeline straight down to where she wished Carmilla would go already instead of taking her sweet time teasing her. Meanwhile the brunette was palming her breasts over the bra which was definitely not the kind of friction that she so desperately needed.

Suddenly, the demon sat up and used both hands to pull her shirt over her head revealing a red, lacey bra. With the brunette still straddling her lap, her breasts were eye level for the blonde whose jaw almost dropped at the sight of the half-naked woman on top of her.

_Jesus Christ does this woman have anything that isn’t orgasm-inducing? And those abs…_

That was as far as the thought could go before Carmilla was back, and this time her fingers were wandering lower, oh so much lower. Laura groaned in frustration when they stopped once more, followed by a tug on her shirt. Eager to continue as quickly as humanly possible, she raised her hands above her head. The bartender pulled the fabric up and off revealing her plain, gray bra.

She didn’t have a moment to be embarrassed about her undergarments because Carmilla’s hand was on her breasts once more, the other continued its journey south and slipped under the waistline of her red plaid pajama pants. The sneaking fingers moved over Laura’s panties, feeling the soaked fabric and emitting a low growl.

“Fuck Laura…”

Her breath hitched when the blonde ground her hips upward, impatient for the friction she so fiercely desired. Apparently that was enough for Carmilla to abandon her plan of slow torture because she pushed the blonde down onto her back and slipped her fingers under the elastic band, finally touching her the way she had been begging for.

Laura gasped when she felt the woman’s digits tease her, stroking and exploring until she finally slipped inside. Carmilla was very good at what she was doing, sliding her fingers in and out gently enough not to cause discomfort but quickly enough to have the first timer on the edge within seconds. Always frustratingly observant, Carmilla slowed her fingers and retracted them which elicited a strangled groan from the server.

When Laura started to sit up, the demon lightly pushed her back down and held her there with a single grinding motion that made her dizzy.

“Be good and stay right there for me, will you?” the whisper right next to her ear triggered goosebumps to ripple along her skin and kept her in place even as she felt the weight on top of her disappear.

She cracked an eye open and saw Carmilla removing her pants and return to her position above her, now covered only by her bra and matching panties. They were lying diagonally across her queen sized bed, the demon crawling ever so slowly over her. She dragged her fingers up the blonde’s stomach until they were once again at her breasts, making her shiver in complete and rapt anticipation.

Laura gasped when she felt a hand reach under her back and unhook her bra with a flick. Without that last barrier she was suddenly extremely self-conscious, shielding herself with her arms and blushing.

When she saw Laura cover herself, Carmilla cupped her cheek and stared directly into her eyes. “Laura, you are so beautiful. You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed of, I promise.”

The brown eyes gazing into hers were so open and honest she couldn’t help but to believe her. The server nodded and haltingly removed her arms, looking downward uneasily, but not for long. A firm hand lifted her chin and lips met hers, reassuring and slow.

The brunette pulled back from the kiss first still holding the girl’s chin between her thumb and forefinger, “Are you alright?”

Laura nodded and smiled, wondering once again how she had managed to be so blessed to have Carmilla in her life.

The predatory grin returned to the bartender’s face, “Good, now where was I?” She pretended to be deep in thought for a moment, “Oh right…”

She returned her attention to Laura’s neck, tracing her way down to her now exposed breasts. The blonde gasped when Carmilla’s lips found her nipple, licking and sucking and bringing her body alive once more. With one hand the demon lathered the other breast with attention while the other crept lower and lower before disappearing below the waistband of her pants once again.

This time however, Carmilla left her now achingly sensitive breasts and nipped her way down her stomach, glancing up to meet Laura’s enraptured expression. Making a point to go excruciatingly slow, the brunette made a show of licking the achingly sensitive skin just above her pants.

Laura shivered expectantly as nimble fingers untied the drawstring of her pants and lazily removed the last of the obstacles between her bare body and what they both craved. Now completely naked, the blonde didn’t even have a chance to feel abashed before a finger slid down her core and turned any coherent thinking to dust.

“Mmmmmm, you are so fucking wet for me.” The demon moaned, the sound of her raspy, lust filled voice nearly pushing Laura over the edge by itself.

That statement was followed up by a hand gradually pushing her legs apart, giving the brunette access and made Laura’s head reflexively fall back onto the bed.

Her eyes were closed in what she thought was ecstasy, the idea of which was disproven in the next moment, causing Laura to involuntarily release a breathy “OH GOD!”

She felt the bartender’s smirk at her reaction but she just didn’t care because her tongue was doing the most amazing things that she absolutely could not interrupt. The blonde squirmed and moaned, tangling her hands into Carmilla’s hair and begging her with unintelligible sounds not to stop. Just when she thought nothing could ever feel as good as this, a finger and then two slipped into her and she lost any semblance of control she may have had.

Laura’s head pushed back into the bed and she let out a loud, wanton moan as she fell over the edge. The brunette’s tongue and fingers helped her ride out the waves of her first orgasm, leaving the girl a pile of mush at the skilled bartender’s fingers.

_Holy. Shit._

She lay there gasping, trying to catch her breath while Carmilla relaxed next to her with her head propped up on her hand. After a minute or two, she was able to summon up energy to turn her head to face the shit eating grin trained on her still trembling form.

“You okay there Creampuff? Did you survive your deflowering?”

“Oh I survived,” the blonde swallowed, wetting her extremely dry mouth. In a single motion, Laura rolled over onto the gloating brunette and pinned her to the bed, “And now it’s my turn…”

-Carmilla-

She awoke slowly, her mind a haze and her body aching in the most delicious way. Carmilla stretched her limbs and moaned at the sweet feeling of her newly loosened muscles and the way the sheets brushed ever so softly against her skin. Her eyes fluttered open and the first thing she saw was blonde hair flowing over her pillow from the girl mere inches away.

Laura’s bare back was turned to her and she was snoring softly, the covers lifting and falling slightly with each breath. The demon smiled at the innocence that was the sleeping girl (so different from the way she had been the night before). The demon had never allowed anyone to top her during sex, but the little minx with a fantastic repertoire of new tricks resting beside her most definitely had her rethinking her unwritten rule about that.

It was even better than the brunette could have imagined, allowing Laura to take the lead and explore her body. Starting out hesitantly, she became increasingly more confident as her experimentation reduced the bartender to a moaning mess beneath her finger. She had to remind the blonde that this wouldn’t be her last chance to get to know her body so could she please hurry up before she exploded (which she did soon after).

The demon’s embarrassment at finishing so quickly was short lived, replaced with a happy buzz when the server snuggled up to her. The women fell asleep in each other’s arms, skin pressed against skin. The entire experience had Carmilla feeling more exposed than she ever had before, the idea of which had her feeling more comfortable than she had thought possible.

A devious smile grew on her face when Laura rolled onto her back and let out a moan not unlike the ones she was releasing last night. An idea formed as the demon shifted, moving the covers slowly so as not to wake her. Carmilla kissed her gently and rubbed her hand casually down her exposed side, a move that woke the blonde in more ways than one. The kiss was reciprocated and her hand between Laura’s legs proved that she had been right about what the girl had been dreaming about.

She released the blonde’s lips and slowly made her way south, spurred on by the sounds made in reply to her tongue leading the way.

“Oh God Carm…” she moaned, tangling her fingers into her brunette locks and pushing her head down to where she wanted it.

And who was Carmilla to deny her?

\---------------------------

An hour and an orgasm or four later, the sound of the front door shutting had both girls scrambling to find their clothes.

Each had barely picked up the first item of clothing when they heard footsteps coming up the stairs and a deep voice call “Laura? Honey I’m home!”

“Crap! Carm hide!” the blonde whispered quickly as she threw a random shirt on (inside out and backwards) and jumped back into her bed.

Looking around frantically, Carmilla did the only thing she could think of at the moment which was to kick the pile of discarded clothes under the bed and growl at the server to move before diving under the still rumpled covers.

“Really? You think he won’t notice you there?”

She opted not to answer as she felt hair pushing through her skin and her bones moving as she became her feline self. Just in time, the change concluded and the demon froze as she heard the bedroom door open.

“Hey honey, is there someone up here with you? I thought I heard footsteps when I was coming up.”

The brunette had to stifle a snicker when the blonde’s aura spiked in confusion at his obliviousness, only increasing when she realized the person shaped bump in her sheets had disappeared.

“Someone else?” she put on a very convincing performance, “Who else would be up here?”

“I don’t know, just thought I heard two pairs of feet up here. Do you mind if I sit down?”

As entertaining as Laura in mild panic mode was, she decided to ease her fears by nuzzling her thigh. The unexpected contact made the girl jump before understanding dawned and she sat up to give him room.

“Yeah of course, what’s up?”

The foot of the bed sagged and groaned slightly as her father situated himself. “I’ve just noticed that you haven’t been yourself lately, and I couldn’t help but put two and two together and realize I haven’t seen Carmilla in just as long. Did you two have a fight?”

“Oh yeah, a small one but we actually talked last night and we… made up.”

_Made up? Is that what the kids are calling it nowadays?_

“Oh good, I’m glad to hear it. I miss her being over here. She is a good kid and I like how happy she makes you.” There was a pregnant pause when Mr. Hollis’s aura became uncomfortable and hesitant, “So, uh, does she have a boyfriend?”

The blonde’s aura plummeted in mortification and she could practically see the blush rising on her face, “No, she doesn’t.”

The awkwardness in the room could be cut with a knife and Carmilla was loving every second of it.

“Girlfriend?” he was growing more confident as his point progressed.

“…I don’t think so.”

“Do you have any plans to change that?”

“Dad!” Laura’s voice rose, horrified at what her dad was asking (and Carmilla would bet it was more because she was present to hear the conversation).

The weight at the end of the bed shifted and dissipated, “Well I guess that’s my answer then,” he was laughing at his daughter’s reaction, “don’t worry, I won’t do anything to embarrass you.”

“Too late,” came the blonde’s grumbled reply causing him to let out a chuckle, even as his aura indicated her didn’t understand what she meant.

“Right, well I’m dead tired so if you need me I will be taking a nap. Are you working today?”

“Yeah, I’m a dinner.”

“Ok then,” footsteps made their way around the bed and she felt Laura lean over to give her father a kiss, “I will see you when you get home tonight. Hope you make some money.”

“Me too, sleep well Dad.”

The sound of his feet retreated and as soon as she heard the door close, Carmilla was wiggling her way up and out from under the covers purring obnoxiously. As soon as she appeared, Laura’s face became a huge smile and she could swear she saw hearts in her eyes.

“Oh. My. God. Carm, you are adorable.”

She released another rumbling purr and rubbed herself against the girl, making her laugh.

“Wow, it’s really you isn’t it?” her face held the same fascination as it had last night when she had seen her wings. “Your eyes are even the same color. Don’t laugh but can I pet you? I love cats and you really are so cute.”

Carmilla chuckled to herself and nodded, allowing the girl to run her hand over her furry head and down her back.

_Ok, so I know this is ruining my tough guy image, but now I know why animals like being pet…_

Before she knew what was happening, Laura had picked her up and was snuggling her against her chest. Carmilla couldn’t really find a reason to complain, and honestly had two very good reasons not to that she was conveniently being squished against.

After about a minute of this the demon wiggled her way out of the cuddly death grip she had been held in and strutted to the end of the bed where she turned and stared into Laura’s eyes. With a quick kitty grin, Carmilla stuck her butt in the air in true feline fashion and stretched her muscles to begin the returning transformation. In seconds, she lay on the bed in the same position, but now in her human body.

“Ahhhhh that felt good,” she moaned as she crawled her way back up the bed to the dumbstruck blonde. “Cutie? Hello?”

“That was… wow,” was all Laura could bring herself to say.

The demon chuckled at the reaction she was getting and plopped down on the bed, folding her legs under the covers and bringing Laura’s head down to rest on her chest. Something about holding the server this way had Carmilla feeling peaceful, cradling her close she gave her a kiss on her forehead.

“So, your dad huh?”

The blonde’s face was immediately red, “Oh God, ignore him. He likes to tease me and he likes you and…”

“Cupcake, slow down. It’s ok, I thought it was pretty funny.” The bartender punctuated this with another kiss on the forehead, “But it does bring up a point that we do need to discuss.” She saw the server’s heart plummet, but when Laura tried to pull away, she held her even closer.

“Wait, hear me out okay?” the wiggling ceased and she seemed to have the girl’s attention. Satisfied, Carmilla released her and rolled over to reach under the bed and grab the rumpled clothing that had been shoved there so unceremoniously. Sorting them out, the brunette dressed and Laura pulled on her pajama pants before staring wide eyed at her desk. The demon turned and grinned when she noticed her red lace bra hanging over the desk chair where it must have landed when she had discarded it the night before.

“So what do you think the chances are that he didn’t see it?” Laura asked in a small voice.

“I don’t think you want to hear the answer to that Creampuff,” she snatched her bra and put it on, followed by her shirt. She sat once again on the bed and glanced at the server, but before she could open her mouth Laura was already talking.

“It’s okay, I don’t expect you to be my girlfriend or anything. I know this whole thing is complicated so don’t worry about it, but can we at least stay friends?”

The look on her face nearly broke the demon’s heart ( _huh, wonder when I got one of those…_ ). Without thinking, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to Laura’s, kissing her hard and deep to convey the message she couldn’t articulate in a way that would make the blonde honestly believe. Finally pulling away she saw the girl still with her eyes closed and an expression that Carmilla couldn’t read on her face.

“Laura, don’t be stupid. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you before it gets through your apparently monumentally thick head, but I’m not going anywhere. Everything between us, everything I’ve done and said, I did because I wanted to. I may have been sent to this place because of my Mother, but I am here with you because this is where I want to be.” The server’s eyes had opened and were now locked on the brunette’s, “You are right, this entire situation is complicated but you are wrong in thinking I don’t want to be more than just friends with you.”

“But…”

“No, no ‘but’s,” Carmilla cut her off before she could come up with some other ridiculous theory, “I want to be with you Laura. There isn’t anything in Heaven or on Earth that I want more than to just be with you.”

She read the unsaid word in Carmilla’s eyes, “But…?”

“But…” the brunette let out a sigh, “it can’t happen at this moment. I wasn’t just making excuses when I sad that I wanted to protect you from what would happen when I marked you that night. We need to be smart about this, and as much as the thought of saying so makes me cringe, we can’t do it alone.”

The demon took a deep breath, surprised that she was actually about to utter these words, “We’re going to need some help from the local chapter of the God Squad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!  
> **Follow me on tumblr, my inbox is always open! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/butiwilllove


	12. Oh Where Oh Where Could My Angel Be?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we get some important back story and the angst begins...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING:  
> Allusions to torture
> 
> Title song: Every Moment by Jamestown Story
> 
> I think this is the chapter ending that will get me the second most outcry, but I am ready. Good luck!
> 
> Also, as we have all realized, the holidays are upon us. Because of this I cannot promise an update within the next week or two since these next two weeks or so will be crazy. But as always, I will do my absolute best to update.

-Laura-

_If I thought I’d seen everything before, I was sorely mistaken…_

She was once more sitting in the angel’s living room with Carmilla, Perry, and Danny in attendance. Thankful this time there weren’t any near death experiences, she was avidly praying that there were no more life-changing confessions to be had.

It was nearly midnight and Laura was dead tired from work as well as a… less than sleep-filled night the previous evening. Everyone was still in their work uniforms with the exception of Danny who had been home from work since sundown when the beach closed and was currently rocking pajama pants and a very flattering tank top. Before they had even walked through the door of The Fresh that afternoon, Perry had herded them to a corner and whispered, “Now is not the time for whatever it is you want to talk about. Come over to the house after work and we will discuss this then.”

Laura had looked to Carmilla for an explanation but had received only a shrug to her silent question. Having no other option, the girls clocked in and worked their shift. Perry had left without a word by the time they finished their side work so they drove to her house which is where they currently found themselves, facing two very interested angels in varying states of dress.

“To what do we owe the pleasure of your company at this time of night?” Danny’s tone was the least confrontational Laura had ever heard it when in Carmilla’s presence; in fact it seemed fairly sincere without any underlying tones of rivalry. “By the looks of things, you two have… made up.” Her expression was knowing as she stared at Laura with an eyebrow raised.

The blonde felt herself blushing when Perry re-routed the conversation, “What seems to be the problem girls?”

“We need your help.” The demon’s statement was short and direct, all heads turning to her in equal surprise.

“Our help?” Danny asked incredulously, “Are you sure? Even after last time?”

“Last time?” Laura echoed confused, “What last time?”

Carmilla sighed and shot a glare at Danny, “I haven’t gotten that far with her, I thought it would be better if I told with you present, so we can know she is all caught up.”

“Oh, ok got it. But just so we are clear, are you asking for the same thing…?”

“Not exactly, but I think we should explain before both Laura and Perry lose their heads.”

Perry’s expression mirrored Laura’s in confusion, whatever was being discussed was fully known only to the tall angel and the opposing demon.

“Good point,” Danny admitted, turning her attention to her ‘sister’ and Laura respectively. “Perr obviously knows some of it but it’s all new to Laura so why don’t you start and I will add my two cents when you’re done?”

“Yeah okay,” the brunette turned to Laura and the angel, both of whom were seated on the couch. “Where do I even start?” she sighed to herself, running her fingers through her hair, “Okay, so the last time I was on earth was what, 1870? 1871?”

“Yeah around there, in Austria.” the tall angel added helpfully.

“Right,” she turned her attention to Laura, “well whenever I am on earth it is because Mother has sent me to do something for her, in this case I was supposed to seduce this wealthy businessman and use him for whatever Mother wanted. She tells no one her actual intent until she knows the plan can’t go wrong. So I went as she told me to, all was going well until he brought me to his estate and I met his daughter.

Her name was Elle and we were attracted to each other pretty quickly. I knew that no matter what Mother had planned; Elle would most likely not make it out unscathed so I planned to run away with her. I asked Clifford here to help create a distraction so that we could get away without Mother noticing.”

Laura’s heart seized when she saw the hurt that Carmilla was trying, and failing, to hide. She could see that this story wouldn’t end well, but she could also see more of Carmilla than she ever had before. The blonde knew that the demon was strong, doing her best to remain stoic in the face of everything she had and was going through, but this was more. Laura saw a girl, broken down so many times that hope seemed more dangerous than her current situation. She had to push down the overwhelming urge to hold the brunette in her arms, clenching her hands and allowing her to continue.

“But I was stupid. The day that we were planning on leaving, everything went wrong. We were supposed to meet at this one spot that we would frequent in the woods a couple miles from her home, but she never showed. I waited and waited but then I felt it. As I told you demons can hide our auras, but we can also… throw it. There isn’t a good way to describe it but it’s almost as though we put out a beacon using our aura. We can send it to any angelic being in the area or direct it to a certain one or two, which is how I called these two the night of the accident. Anyway, I felt Mother’s aura and it was sickeningly _delighted_.

I knew something had happened, I flew as fast as I could but…” her words trailed off and the bartender seemed to get lost in her memories, “I was too late.”

The silence was suffocating, no one breathed as they waited to see if she would continue.

“Too late?” the server asked quietly.

“They were dead. She massacred them, down to the last house cat.” Her voice was haunting, filled with sorrow and regret, “Mother had her body out in the garden, just waiting for me so she could throw the failure in my face. Before I could do anything, she threw Elle’s body through a portal into hell, and I followed.”

“It was horrible,” Danny’s voice pierced the silence, “I’d never seen her before, at least since I had come back. I didn’t even know who she was.”

Laura could see the question on the angel’s faces and knew neither would ask, so she did. “What happened then?”

Carmilla looked like she was somewhere else, a faraway look in her eyes, lost in her memories. She was silent for so long that the blonde wasn’t sure she had even heard the question.

Out of nowhere, the demon answered in a hushed tone, “She punished me.”

Perry and Danny’s faces both looked like they would be sick, it took a moment before Laura understood.

“Is that…”

“Where the scars came from?” the brunette finished the question for her, “Yes, for the past century and a half or so. I have to hand it to her, she knows what she is doing. She brought me closer and closer each time, but never let me die. This is my first time back on earth, that’s why my knowledge of the past hundred plus years has been a bit foggy. Why I knew the saying but not who Superman was, why I didn’t know about Mario Kart,” her face broke into a sad smile, “though you teaching me about them are times I wouldn’t trade for anything.”

She couldn’t hold it back any longer, Laura stood and closed the space between them quickly. She held onto the brunette tightly, as though she could protect her from everything with just her arms wrapped around her body.

“Carm?” the demon’s head came up at the sound of her name, “I cannot imagine what you have gone through, but I need you to know that you aren’t alone anymore. I’m not going anywhere either.”

Carmilla cupped her face, unable to speak she just stared into Laura’s eyes. She didn’t need words, the blonde knew exactly what she was saying. The server brought her fingers to the brunette’s face and wiped away the small tears that had escaped.

The demon gulped, her mask back in place as she turned to the angels, “We need your help. I cannot have a repeat of last time. So I’m not asking for a distraction like before, I’m asking for your protection in return for information. I will tell you everything I know and help you because I cannot do this anymore. I can’t continue ruining people’s lives and causing so much pain.”

Perry’s mouth snapped closed, “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

The bartender leveled her eyes at the angel, “I am offering to be your mole. I am not stupid, I fell and I know that there isn’t anything that can be done for that.” Both angels opened their mouths but Carmilla interrupted them, “I have no illusions about how this is going to end, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to lie down and give up.”

The two redheads shared a look, one that chilled Laura to the bone with it implications.

“Okay, we have a deal.” Perry stood and held out her hand which Carmilla grabbed and shook.

“Good. But you need to know that I am not the fountain of information I used to be. It wasn’t verbalized but I’m pretty much on probation after last time. Mother isn’t stupid, she will have someone watching me to make sure her punishment worked.” She sighed and wiped her face with her hand, “I know you want my mission but there isn’t much to tell. I was sent here with Will, he is a newbie so I am supposed to be training him and just making trouble in general. All I know is that I am supposed to be giving updates on how he is doing and how much mischief we have created.”

“Carmilla, thank you.” Perry placed her hand on the bartender’s comfortingly, “Anything you can tell us is more than we had before. But you need to be careful, if you are right and you are being watched then you need to stop being with Laura so much and actually do your job. You need to spend time training Will, Danny and I will protect Laura, you have my word.”

“Yes but whoever is watching me will have seen me with Laura, if I suddenly stop seeing her then they will get suspicious.”

“But didn’t you two just go like two weeks without talking?” Danny injected, “What would make you doing that again so out of the ordinary?”

“Because they will have seen what happened last night,” Laura’s face was on fire as she answered the tall angel’s question as quietly as possible, “and this morning....”

Three pairs of eyes set themselves on the server, unsure if they had heard her correctly.

Carmilla was the first of the three to recover, “Exactly, so stopping would be more out of the ordinary than simply cutting back.”

The curly haired seraphim nodded in agreement, “If it was anyone other than Laura… You are right. But you do need to begin this change immediately.”

“Excuse me, but don’t I get any say in this?” the blonde felt like a child, listening to the grown-ups decide what would happen.

“What are you talking about? Of course you have a say in this,” the demon replied as though it was so obvious she shouldn’t need to explain, “You are the entire reason this is happening.”

“Maybe we should cut this little meeting short. Since we are operating under the assumption that there is someone keeping tabs on you, a prolonged period of time being in our home without you trying to kill someone will raise red flags.” Danny’s point had all heads nodding in agreement.

“Ok, but here,” the bartender held her phone out to the two women, “add your numbers into my phone in case of emergency.”

Everyone passed their cells around, adding numbers where necessary until all numbers were safely recorded in their contacts.

“Laura, we should get out of here. Do you mind if I sleep over?”

The blonde looked at her like she was an idiot, “Of course not, I was going to ask you to anyway.”

“Okay good.” The demon placed her hand on the small of Laura’s back and began to gently lead her to the door, “I will be in touch with you two. I know Mother and if she gets wind of any of this, the first thing she will do is go after Laura. We can’t leave her alone even for a second, but we will discuss that later.”

“Carmilla?” Danny’s voice stopped the woman in her tracks, their eyes meeting in some kind of silent communication that the server couldn’t have even begun to understand. “I knew I was right about you.”

“Yeah yeah, don’t get used to it halo-head.” She turned her head, giving Laura a clear view of both women smiling while the other wouldn’t see.

The blonde smiled, realizing that behind their tough facades, both women had some serious respect for each other.

The server and her demon rode home in relative silence, both understanding that there was a lot on the line for everyone involved. They reached Laura’s house and made their way up to her bedroom, stopping momentarily to say hi to her father who looked happy to see the brunette again.

The girls reached Laura’s bedroom and closed the door behind them, letting their masks fall away. The server turned to see the demon right behind her, so close they were practically touching. She reached out and took her hand, pulling her to the bed where she sat and maneuvered Carmilla so that she was laying across the bed with her head on Laura’s lap.

Looking down into the two deep brown pools of her eyes, the blonde caressed her cheek and smiled, “Close your eyes.”

The demon did as she was asked, trusting herself to the girl whose lap she used as a pillow. Laura gently ran her fingers through those raven locks spread across her lap, playing with the hair and feeling the bartender’s muscles relaxing.

“My mom always used to play with my hair to calm me down, it’s just so soothing.” She kept her voice low, the demon seemed to melt into her touch. They stayed like this for a minute or two and Laura would swear she thought she heard the brunette purring, “Carm, I’m scared.”

She saw the demon take a deep breath before opening her eyes and holding her gaze, “Don’t be Cutie,” she tapped the blonde’s nose playfully, “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Laura looked toward the ceiling in exasperation before returning her eyes to the brunette’s face, “I’m not scared for myself you dolt, I’m scared for you.”

“Scared for me? Why are you scared for me?”

“I’m scared that you will get hurt, or worse...”

She saw Carmilla’s eyes widen slightly, “You don’t need to worry about me. There is no possibility of me being hurt.”

“No?” the blonde’s tone became sarcastic, “Be so kind to explain to me how, with everything we just discussed, you couldn’t possibly be hurt.”

“Because, there are only two possible outcomes to this. Either I survive, a situation I don’t know how might happen but I am adding for optimism’s sake, or I will die. Mother won’t leave me to cross her again after this.”

Laura felt her heart drop, a strangled sob escaping from her mouth. Immediately concerned, Carmilla sat up and enveloped the server in a hug and held her close.

“Cupcake, what’s wrong?”

The blonde snuggled closer to the demon, squeezing her as hard as she could. “I can’t lose you Carm. If you die, I won’t remember you or anything we have done. I need you Carmilla…”

She paused for a beat, realizing what she was about to say was not only impulsive, but also extremely fast in terms of how long they had known each other.

She didn’t care.

“…I love you.”

-Carmilla-

Those three words echoed in her head, imprinting themselves in her mind and taking up her every thought. Hearing them in that order, directed at her, was not something the demon had ever even imagined could possibly happen.

Looking back, she couldn’t believe how badly she had choked. She had been so unprepared for those words that she hadn’t even replied. The blonde had grasped her tighter and they fell asleep soon after, cuddling together in the mutually recognized understanding that shit was about to hit the fan and this was most likely one of the last times they would have to themselves.

It was nearly two weeks later and she was still kicking herself for screwing up so royally.

_It’s not like you don’t feel the same way._

_Shut up._

_Why didn’t you just say it back?_

_Shut up._

_Even if you didn’t say it back then, you have had countless moments to tell her since then._

_Shut. Up._

She really annoyed herself sometimes.

The bartender was dragged back into the world by the sound of Danny’s voice yelling at her.

“Do you have any idea how close that was? That little girl nearly died!”

“Oh gee, is that what happened? I thought she was just pretending…” her voice dripped with sarcasm of its own accord.

“This isn’t some joke Carmilla, this is…”

“This is what? Life or death? Yeah, I got the memo, and last I checked the latter is a tad more permanent for me.”

“Danny, that’s enough.” Perry’s voice cut through the argument like a knife, “I understand that today was a tragedy that was very narrowly avoided, but Carmilla couldn’t have changed that without giving herself away.”

The three women were standing amidst the boulders that she and Laura had visited on their walk the night they had ‘made up’, the only place they could meet knowing they hadn’t been followed.

The demon smirked at the fuming angel, hiding just how shaken she was with today’s events under the surface. Laura had been scheduled to work dinner tonight so the brunette had brought her to the beach. Carmilla had given Will the demonic version of a pop quiz, with Danny watching vigilantly and Perry in earshot in case things went wrong of course. She had surprised him as he was guarding and told him to show her what he had been learning.

The only problem was that he was more advanced than she had realized, even with her spending more time with him in the past two weeks.

The young demon had taken the lifeguard’s paddle board out, past the breaking waves as though he was simply keeping an eye on some more adventurous swimmers who thought that low tide meant that they could safely go out farther. Instead, he dove off the board and released his wings under water, something Carmilla hadn’t even realized he was capable of doing due to the pressure of the water around him. He had then pumped his wings toward the shore, creating a rip current.

Danny figured out his plan in time to alert the swimmers in the area, but a young girl had been swept out with the current. In what the newspapers would call the heroic, selfless act of the summer, she swam out to where the child’s flailing arms were disappearing below the surface. The angelic lifeguard grabbed the girl and swam parallel to the shore as the onlookers cheered and recorded the rescue with their phones. A guard boat came up the shore and plucked the two from the water, bringing them to where Laura’s father and his partner waited to administer first aid where needed.

“Don’t point your holy little fingers at me Xena, I did what I was supposed to. It was YOUR job to prevent any major disasters which, oh look, you did. So chill before I rethink this whole ‘truce’ we have going on here.”

The seraphim took a deep breath, her aura becoming less erratic as she calmed herself.

“Fine, but today was entirely too close of a call for my liking.”

“Yeah, message received. And as much as I enjoy our pleasant talks, Laura should be off work soon so don’t you think you should go? Wouldn’t want to miss your sleepover.” Carmilla examined her fingers, doing her best to hide her envy that it was Danny’s turn to watch over the blonde tonight when she had to go home.

“You’re right,” the redhead sighed as she glanced at her watch, “In fact I’m late. Come on Perr, Carmilla…”

“Wait here for a few minutes so no one sees us leaving together, I know. Not my first time around the block.”

Danny didn’t grace the quip with a reply, instead turning and disappearing into the night with Perry by her side. The brunette waited about ten minutes before beginning her trek down the hill and wound her way back to where she had parked her car a couple blocks away. She didn’t realize how exhausting this entire ordeal would be, always looking over her shoulder and planning everything down to the smallest detail to avoid detection.

She was just glad that no matter what happened, she had made sure that Laura would be safe. Between the three of them, the blonde wasn’t alone for even a second. The bartender started the jeep and drove home, making a mental list of what she would need to report when she met Mother’s messenger tomorrow. She arrived home, so caught up in thought that she didn’t even notice she was home alone until she was already in bed.

Her bedside lamp illuminated the stack of books that covered her nightstand, one of which she was in the process of reaching for when it hit her.

She was on her feet in an instant, her hair on end and goosebumps erupting across her entire body. She was scrolling through her phone and almost to the number when her phone began ringing, making her jump.

The device to her ear, she didn’t even have a chance to make a sound before the voice on the other end took every ounce of strength she had. The demon didn’t even register the sound of her phone shattering as it hit the ground. Those three words that she hadn’t had a chance to return were erased from her mind. Three more words took their place, words more painful than anything Carmilla had ever experienced in her life.

“They took Laura.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! (Or happy whichever holiday you celebrate!)  
> **Follow me on tumblr, my inbox is always open! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/butiwilllove


	13. I See The Real You (Even If You Don't, I Do)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Danny tells Carmilla how she really feels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING:  
> kidnapping  
> violent outburst of anger  
> (I am not sure if this is something that would actually trigger someone but I figure better safe than sorry)
> 
> Title song: Real You by Three Days Grace

-Laura-

Consciousness returned slowly, darkness disoriented her as her senses reappeared. Her entire body was stiff and slightly cold, her hands bound behind her back and her ankles tethered together were the first clues that something had gone horribly wrong. Laura opened her eyes to blackness, a blindfold firmly in place tied behind her head. She tried to take stock of herself, pushing the rising panic down as best she could. Her head was pounding, pain like white lightning surging through her entire body.

She took a deep breath to calm herself, trying to recall the last thing she remembered.

She had been at work, Perry had left early saying she had something that needed to be done and that Danny would be there in a half hour to pick her up. For the blonde, this was a miracle. This whole ‘don’t leave Laura alone for even a second’ plan was, to be blunt, getting on her nerves. She understood the importance of it, because of what Carmilla was doing and how dangerous crossing ‘Mother’ was. But at the same time, always being within a hundred yards of one of three select angelic beings at all times was getting very old.

_Sometimes a girl just needs some alone time, you know?_

For the first time in close to three weeks, Laura found herself in the company of only humans, and it felt great. Kirsch had offered to drive her home and she declined, saying that Labor Day weekend was in a couple of days and she wanted to take advantage of the beautiful summer nights while they lasted. He had agreed enthusiastically and insisted he walk her home, so the two had begun their stroll the two and a half blocks to Laura’s home. No matter how hard she tried, walking next to Kirsch was the last thing she could remember.

“Well well, looks like someone finally woke up.” A voice sneered from somewhere in front of her, making the girl jump.

“Laura! Laura? You okay bro?” the sound of a frightened Kirsch made the server’s stomach twist.

“Kirsch? Yeah, I’m alright. Are you okay?” At this point, the terror was just barely being held in check, her concern for her friend the only thing trumping it right now.

“You’re alright? Ha! More like you are about to wet yourself…”

“Bro, when I get out of these, I am going to kill you.” Kirsch threatened through ground teeth.

“Good luck with that ‘bro’.”

_Breathe. Stay calm._

“William, that is enough. And untie these two, this isn’t some Hollywood movie.” The smooth statement sent goosebumps rippling across every inch of her skin and caused her hair to stand on end.

Laura heard footsteps approaching and she cringed away from the sound, protecting herself from whatever was about to be done. Rough hands yanked her forward and tugged the blindfold off, revealing Will’s predatory white smile mere inches from her face.

“Nice to see you again Laura, sorry it had to be under such unfortunate circumstances.” His smirk made the blonde want to hit the smugness off of his face, but before she could move he extended a finger and cut through the duct tape imprisoning her wrists and ankles.

She was on her feet in an instant, pushing past the demon and to her right where her eyes had landed on Kirsch, bound and blindfolded just as she had been. She knelt beside him and removed the black cloth covering his eyes before starting in on the tape around his wrists.

“Oh God, Kirsch I’m here. Are you hurt?” The blonde was out of breath, both freeing and examining him to make sure he hadn’t been hurt.

His hands unbound, the man dragged Laura into a hug and conducted his own search for any injuries.

“Oh stop being so dramatic, if I wanted to really hurt you I would have. Unfortunately, you aren’t much use dead.” Will’s haughty tone had both friends turning in his direction, standing together defensively. Upon seeing their expressions, he grinned, “Well, one of you at least…”

“William,” the voice was frosty, taking their attention from the young demon and redirecting it to the figure swathed in the shadows from a stack of massive containers, “there is no need to frighten our guests.”

“Yes Mother,” he replied obediently, looking like a kid whose toy was just taken away.

Laura took a moment to gaze around, rubbing circulation back into her wrists as she tried to pinpoint where they were. At first glance, they seemed to be in a shipyard. The group seemed lost in the midst of a maze of shipping crates, the cries of seagulls permeated the air along with the sound of foghorns and what sounded like city noise. The sun shone blindingly above them, the sensation of her skin burning alerting her to the fact that she would be hurting later, an insignificant fact in this situation but a fact nonetheless.

Kirsch stiffening beside her brought Laura’s focus back to the problem at hand. The form obscured by darkness was slowly sauntering forward toward the revealing sunlight. Her breath hitched as the person stepped nonchalantly into the day, her first glimpse of Carmilla’s ‘Mother’ taking her completely off guard.

The blonde blinked rapidly and wiped her eyes before returning her gaze to what by all appearances was a physically faultless woman. She had long, straight brown hair and a face that seemed to be the source of the golden ratio.

But the first impression of flawless allure was marred by her eyes, cold and wicked to the point that just having them directed her way felt like a violation.

At the reaction she was getting, the beauty flashed a dazzling smile and strode toward her, “So you are the Laura I have been hearing so much about, yes?”

The blonde felt herself stiffen, fear shooting down her spine and making her feel like a cornered animal.

“Please, calm down. I promise, I have no intention of hurting you young one.” The inhuman smile succeeded only in putting the server more on edge as the devil circled her, taking her in as an art enthusiast would a sculpture in a museum.

Clearly not liking any of this, Kirsch stepped between her and the circling beauty, “What the hell is going on here? And why did you kidnap us?”

In the background, Will’s relaxed form tensed and became threatening at the accusation but ceased when the woman raised her hand in a ‘stop’ motion. Without missing a beat, she leveled her attention at the man with fantastic diplomacy.

“My dear, no one has been kidnapped here. We are simply borrowing you for a moment.”

“Borrowing us? Is that why we were ambushed last night, knocked out, and tied up wherever the hell we are?” His glare was something that Laura had seen intimidate the most daunting of grown men, but the woman merely continued to smile.

“I apologize for my friend’s heavy handedness in this matter which was his own doing and hopefully will not sour our relationship going forward.”

On an unseen cue, Will stepped forward appearing chastened, though Laura wasn’t fooled, “I am sorry for being so callous in my invitation, please accept my sincere apology.”

Kirsch snorted in disbelief, but before he could say anything Laura dug her nails into his arm. He pivoted, surprise in his eyes that she would do that. Before he could say a word, the server interrupted him, “Kirsch, don’t.”

“Don’t what? Did you miss the part where they kidnapped us?”

Doing her best to emphasize just how much he needed to listen to her while remaining calm, the blonde answered, “Please, just drop it.”

“Well, I’m glad to see you aren’t just a pretty face.” The woman turned back to the young demon behind her, but before she could say anything Kirsch interrupted her.

“Who the hell are you?”

She rounded back to them slowly, a double edged smile on her face that had every instinct Laura had begging her to run far and fast. “As much as I would enjoy explaining this to you, I’m afraid I have things I need to do. William, be a dear and keep these two company? I will be back soon.”

He nodded in understanding and the woman turned and disappeared behind a wall of crates.

Laura knew this was her only chance to do anything, the second she was out of sight she began searching for her phone in her pockets.

“Looking for your phone sweetheart?” the smugness in Will’s voice had the blonde considering if it would be worth it to try for just one fist to his face but decided against it, “Don’t bother.”

“Not kidnapping us my ass,” Kirsch scoffed under his breath, “Laura, who was that? And what the hell is going on?”

Will’s smirk grew and he sat himself on a discarded box, propping his chin on his fist in mock attention, “Yes Laura, do explain.”

_Well, this should be fun._

The server turned to her friend, “Kirsch? You might want to sit down for this…”

-Carmilla-

“You fucking useless excuse for an angel I’m going to kill you!”

“Oh yeah? Bring it princess!”

There was a harmonized growling cut short by “Enough! You! You! Sit down now!”

The reprimand was stinging and felt by both angel and demon alike.

“Do I have to treat you both like children? Because I absolutely will.” The angry seraphim glared first at Danny then at Carmilla, “I understand we are all on edge, it being two days and still no sign of Laura, but we need to work together or else we have no hope of getting her back.”

The demon let out a gruff sigh, “Well what the hell are we even doing about it? Sitting here with our thumbs up our asses and hoping Mother just comes waltzing in and says ‘oh sorry, I didn’t realize she was yours’.”

“We are doing what we can Carmilla but you need to calm down. If we don’t have a plan we can all be killed including Laura.”

This shut the brunette up quickly, even she couldn’t deny that Laura was the only one who she really cared came out of this safely. A chirp tone sounded from her pocket and the bartender’s fingers were typing her passcode into her new phone faster than an eye could blink.

Laura (9:34 pm): _Carmilla dear, how have you been?_

The demon barely restrained herself before she crushed the phone into dust in her hand.

“What is it?” Danny jumped from her seat as though it was on fire, rushing to the demon’s side and reading over her shoulder. “Well shit… Hey Perr? You need to see this.”

“What is it? Do we have news? Let me see.”

As the superior angel made her way towards the two, Danny reached down to take the phone and almost lost her hand in the process.

“Ow! You mother fucker!”

The seraph was clutching her bleeding hand to her chest and Carmilla was across the room hissing in Danny’s general direction.

“I swear to God if the two of you don’t stop I will call in reinforcements and you two will be so far away from this whole thing you won’t even remember who Laura is!”

This was as serious as the demon had ever seen Perry and she didn’t want to test her willingness to go through with the threat. The brunette handed the phone over but stayed directly next to the curly haired seraph.

The angel pursed her lips as she read the message, “Well, this is certainly not good.”

“No shit Sherlock…” her retort died from her lips as Perry returned the phone.

“You need to reply, we need to know what she wants.”

The bartender paused, considering her words before typing them and hitting the send button before she could think twice.

Carmilla (9:41 pm): _Hello Mother, so nice to hear from you._

Laura (9:42 pm): _As much as I enjoy our conversations, I would rather cut to the chase this time. I believe you have noticed I have acquired your little girlfriend and her overgrown pup._

Carmilla (9:44 pm): _I had observed something like that, yes._

Laura (9:47 pm): _So it seems I have something you want and since you are what I want, I have a feeling we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement._

Carmilla (9:48 pm): _Just tell me how this will go down._

Laura (9:49 pm): _My my, always so straightforward._

Carmilla (9:50 pm): _Spit it out._

Laura (9:52 pm): _Meet me tomorrow night at 10 pm, I will text you the location an hour before._

Carmilla (9:53 pm): _You won’t see me unless you send me confirmation that Laura AND Kirsch are still alive and healthy._

The demon couldn’t breathe as a minute turned into five which turned into ten with no reply. Danny and Perry were exchanging worried looks when the smartphone in her hand chirped once more. Carmilla almost cried with happiness when she saw it was a video message. She pressed play as the two angels crowded her on either side to watch the recording with her.

The image was grainy and showed a dark room, bare except for the two forms huddled together with their backs against the wall. Laura’s hair was a mess and there was a film of dirt and sweat coating her face, her eyes the only thing giving away that her calm was merely a well-kept façade. Kirsch sat next to her looking just as dirty and possibly more overwhelmed, his gaze fixed behind the camera.

The blonde’s mouth quirked up in a smile, “Carmilla, listen to me. They haven’t touched us, please don’t do anything stupid. If you get hurt I will kill you myself.”

“Now now sugar, no need to get hostile.” Will’s infuriatingly smug voice sounded from behind the camera and Kirsch’s glare zeroed in on him.

“I swear to God dude I am going to kick your ass, super strength or not.”

Egotistical laughter came from the background and it looked like her fellow bartender was about to bust a vein in his forehead.

“Carmilla,” the blonde’s voice grabbed her attention in time to say, “I love you” before the video ended. The server’s gaze frozen on the demon seemed to plead with her.

Another chirp and a new text appeared on the screen.

Laura (10:01 pm): _See you tomorrow darling._

Danny plucked the device out of the bartender’s hands before she could turn it into a projectile, but Carmilla didn’t care. She was seeing red, anger and fear mixed in an explosive way as she felt the overwhelming need to break something (preferably Mother’s face).

“Shit.”

Before she could lash out, two strong arms folded themselves around her torso, picking her body up into the air and pinning her arms to her sides.

“Excuse us for a moment.” Danny was leaning back as she walked the struggling brunette out the door before she could break the first thing she could get her hands on.

Carmilla was beyond reasonable thought, she was screaming and writhing, doing anything she could to escape the arms restraining her. In what felt like mere seconds, the crushing embrace disappeared.

The demon went berserk.

Her fist collided with something very solid, again and again she released her emotions in a frenzy upon whatever poor thing she had come across. Within a minute the brunette collapsed, breathless and completely sapped of energy. She braced herself against this immovable object in front of her, weakly continuing her assault on it even as she felt her knuckles bleeding profusely.

Eventually the red haze cleared and she found her head rolled back, staring up into the endless expanse of stars as she leaned her weight forward. She felt a cool breeze on her skin and inhaled, the familiar and calming smell of the ocean bringing her back to the present.

“Feel better?” The voice came from somewhere behind her.

Mustering everything she had, Carmilla glanced back toward the source. Danny was reclining against one of the many boulders scattered around the field. Reality came flooding back and Carmilla couldn’t hold herself up any longer. She felt her body collapse onto the rubble of the boulder she had blindly attacked. Rocks dug into her body and she felt every bone in both of her fists struggling to mend themselves.

She heard sobbing and felt gentle hands lifting her from the sharp points of the shattered boulder. She struggled away from the forgiving clutches and slid down to sit on her own strength.

“Fuck! God fucking dammit not again!” she struck out once more but before she could connect, the hands were back and lightly keeping her from continuing to harm herself. “I messed up again and now Mother has Laura. I can’t do anything right, everyone would be better off if I just gave myself up to her.”

“Don’t you ever say that.” The seraph’s tone became commanding, “No one is worthless, not even a demon, and especially not you. I have known you since before the earth was created and I have seen who you are and how you have changed. Don’t you dare give up, specifically now. You have done so many good things and you have the hope for a real future with a girl who sees you for you, no matter what you have done in the past.”

At the mention of Laura, her heart dropped and she reached out to grab Danny’s hand, forcing her to look her in the eye. “Danny, I need you to promise me something.”

Both girls stared at each other, the seriousness of the situation surpassing their respectful dislike of the other.

“I don’t know if you are right or not,” she saw the angel open her mouth but quickly cut her off, “and I am not going to argue that with you right now. I need you to give me your word that no matter what happens tomorrow, you will do everything in your power to keep the promise you made to me.”

The red head nodded immediately, “Of course, I meant it then and I still mean it now. You can count on me.”

Carmilla turned away to hide the emotions that were beginning to show on her face. She struggled to stand, attempting to right herself multiple times before caving and accepting the hand Danny had been holding out to her the entire time. The bartender straightened and brushed the sand off of herself.

“Good, now let’s get back. If we don’t have a fifteen step plan to prepare for the plan before tomorrow I think Perry will have a stroke.”

“You make a good point, plus we need to get you cleaned up a bit. You look like you got in a fight with a rock and lost.” Danny cracked a smile at her corny joke and Carmilla laughed beside her as they began their trek back to the house.

_She isn’t as bad as I thought. Who knows, I might actually miss her…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone! I apologize for the little break but I have a lot going on and it kind of takes away from my writing time. You may have noticed I finally put up the amount of chapters this fic will be and the last chapter will be the epilogue so brace yourselves now. I would like to thank everyone for their patience and as always, please don't hesitate to tell me what you think!  
> **Follow me on tumblr, my inbox is always open! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/butiwilllove


	14. Get Out Your Guns, Battle's Begun (Are You A Saint Or A Sinner?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Carmilla surprises us all...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING:  
> Violence  
> Deceit  
> Straight up angst
> 
> Title song: Angel With A Shotgun by The Cab
> 
> Hey everyone, so I know I told you all that this would be the last chapter before the epilogue but well, I changed my mind because reasons. So now there is one more chapter before the epilogue for things to either get better or get worse, only time will tell.  
> Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

-Carmilla-

The jeep nearly overturned as the brunette careened around an impossible turn, skidding to a stop at exactly 10:00 pm. Her two passengers were hanging on for dear life and everyone’s hair was windblown. Without thought she ran her fingers through her locks, calming them as she pushed down the panic threatening to rise to the surface.

In front of them sat Kirsch’s old F-150, parked at the end of a wide alley surrounded by rows of giant shipping crates stacked one on top of another. The walls stretched about twenty to thirty feet high on all sides, two street lights held the shadows at bay in their own spheres of operation. Carmilla didn’t even bother turning the car off before she swung herself out of the car, walking with purpose through the darkness toward the pickup.

“Laura! Laura are you hurt?”

She had felt the server’s aura immediately, it was flickering like a strobe light as multiple emotions fought to break free from her composure. Relief, fear, confusion, and anger at her own helplessness battled each other underneath her stoic visage.

The angels were slowed momentarily by having to actually unbuckle their seatbelts but were soon flanking her on either side as she stood about ten feet from the small group by the truck.

“Carm!” the blonde was unable to hide the fear in her voice as she answered, “Why did you come? Get out of here! She is going to kill you!”

The devil laughed at the restrained girl, amused at her futile words. The demon was using every ounce of composure she possessed to keep her feet still; just the sight of Mother’s cold eyes had every cell in her body screaming at her to run away while the sight of Laura screamed at her to run forward. The moon shone directly above them, giving the entire scene an eerie feel as it provided just enough light for the humans to be able to see. With more than enough illumination for any angelic being, Carmilla could perfectly make out the malicious smile on Mother’s face. Surrounding the truck were a handful of other demons along with Will, a shit eating smirk on his face as he watched her gaze settle on who she was really looking for.

Laura and Kirsch stood side by side, adorned in what appeared to be their work uniforms with their hands bound with zip ties behind their backs.

“Carmilla dear,” Mother purred, “so glad you could make it. If I knew you were bringing friends I would have brought refreshments.”

“Cut the crap, no need to drag this out.” The demon put forth her most confident appearance, knowing that Laura’s life depended on it, “I came like you asked, now let them go.”

“As impatient as ever I see. William?”

At her command, Will grabbed Kirsch’s shoulder and manhandled the struggling man until they stood before the brunette. A flick of Will’s wrist and the tie imprisoning the other man’s hands fell away, sliced clean through. In the next instant, Kirsch had swung his body around and a dull thud broke the relative silence of the night.

His fist made contact with Will’s left cheek, snapping his head back in what would have been a devastating blow to a human.

Kirsch glared as Will raised his hand to his cheek, “That was for SJ.”

However the infuriating smirk was unfazed as the demon turned his head slowly to look at the enraged bartender.

Too fast for any human to see, Carmilla extended her arm and intercepted the retaliating superhuman blow aimed at Kirsch’s head. Before the man even had a chance to flinch, Carmilla had yanked Will’s fist straight up and used the force of his blow against him. It travelled down her body and into her right leg which connected with a crunch directly between the young demon’s legs.

Before Kirsch had even blinked Will was on the ground, curled into a fetal position with his hands cupping himself in pain.

“That ‘little brother’ was for reporting on me.” She turned to her fellow bartender who was still attempting to figure out what had transpired, “And as for you, I’m not sure how much Laura explained to you, but you need to control yourself and get your butt behind Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum over there. I can’t be babysitting you right now.”

As the man scurried behind the angels, Carmilla tapped into his aura and released a large portion of his anger in hopes that he would start being smart about which satanic creature he decided to take a shot at next.

The devil made a disapproving noise, “Come now Carmilla, why did you have to go do that? You of all people should know he was simply obeying orders.”

“Yes I’m aware, but if I learned anything from you dear Mother, it is to not accept deceit or betrayal of any kind.”

“That’s an interesting sentiment coming from you, especially considering the current situation.”

“No more hypocritical than when the same words slither from your own mouth.” The bartender shot a snarky grin at her Mother, antagonizing her as much as she could.

The devil’s eyes narrowed, her smirk sending goosebumps up the brunette’s spine. In the blink of an eye, Mother was beside Laura’s restrained form. She had a hand firmly gripping the back of the blonde’s neck as she stroked her cheek with the other.

Her diabolical grin grew as Carmilla and both angels lurched forward at the unmistakable threat.  A groan came from the crumpled form that was Will as he began to return to reality. He climbed to his feet slowly, wincing with every step he took as he stumbled to the devil’s side.

_This has gone on long enough._

-Laura-

The cold hand squeezing the back of her neck sent chills through her body while the look of determination on Carmilla’s face filled her entire being with dread. “Humans are such delicate creatures, aren’t they?” the woman laughed coldly at the steadfast faces watching her every move.

Laura felt two fingers slowly stroke her cheek, but they turned halfway down to slice through the flesh of the blonde’s jaw. The pain was sudden but otherwise not unbearable, blood began to flow down her neck and where her days old work shirt began to absorb the liquid.

Laura observed the situation as best as she could in what little light she had as she subtly tested the binding across her wrists once again. Will had limped back to stand near the truck as the devil ran a finger through the blood on her neck and brought it to her mouth and tasted it almost thoughtfully.

A couple of yards in front of them Carmilla remained tensed and ready to fight.

Behind her stood Danny and Perry, both angels on edge and prepared for whatever might happen. Kirsch was frozen near the jeep, most of his body in shadow but seemingly torn between doing what his fellow bartender had told him and coming to his friend’s aid.

Laura saw the bartender’s fists clenching at her sides as she ground through her teeth, “Let her go.”

The server felt the woman’s breath in her ear as she laughed, unafraid of the threat directed at her. “As entertaining as you have been, I’m afraid I am growing impatient with your antics. I have no quarrel with this human and harming her would gain me nothing. In return for your surrender, I will release her here and now. What do you say?”

The words turned Laura’s blood to ice, “Carm don’t do it! It’s not wor...”

Her words were cut off as a hand buried itself in her hair and yanked her head back sharply, her neck cracked in protest to the sudden movement.

“Silence you little worm, it seems you aren’t nearly as smart as you led me to believe.” The devil’s toxic exhalation nearly choked her as Laura struggled to raise her head from the uncomfortable position she found herself in.

“Lolita, that is enough.”

The blonde let out a sigh of relief as the grip on her hair loosened and she was able to right her head to take in the newest scene. Perry had moved to stand in front of Carmilla who was being held back by Danny’s hand on her arm.

“Lola Perry, I’m surprised to see you away from your master’s side. Has He finally let you off the leash?” the woman taunted beside her.

“It never ceases to amaze me just how long you have had to understand everything you so adamantly oppose and yet you still remain perfectly ignorant.” Perry shot back, unfazed by the evil in her presence.

What happened next was a blur of movement that her eyes were unable to follow. One moment Perry was standing her ground in this battle of wits, in the next the entire dynamic shifted.

It felt as though someone were making a stop-motion video in real time. Laura had barely blinked when she found herself in a completely different situation.

Perry lay prostrate on the ground, blood oozing from the back of her head through her red curls. Danny had been thrown through the air and landed on the hood of the jeep, shattering the windshield barely a foot away from a stunned Kirsch.

Carmilla meanwhile was suddenly standing casually mere feet away from where Laura stood, still in the devil’s grasp. Danny was beside her fallen comrade in a blur of motion, calling her name and shaking the still form.

The angel’s frame twitched just before it sat up in a fit of coughing, her charge’s face one of absolute relief.

“What the hell…?” she touched the back of her head and winced, bringing it in front of her face with a surprised expression at the amount of blood on her hand.

“Am I still the ignorant one?” The woman released her and moved to Carmilla’s side, running her hand down the side of the demon’s face almost lovingly. “My dear Carmilla, glad to see you still know where your allegiance lies. You almost had me worried.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Danny’s voice shouted, “Carmilla you fucking bitch what the hell are you doing?”

Now somewhat free to move, Laura turned to where the brunette stood with her mother, a wicked smirk contorting her face.

“Oh come on, you didn’t really think I was just suddenly ‘good and holy’ did you?” she mocked the angels as Danny helped Perry to her feet, “Oh my God, you did didn’t you?”

Her eyes went wide as she laughed at the outraged expressions on the seraph’s faces, the devil joined in and every hair on Laura’s body stood on end.

“Carm…” the blonde muttered hesitantly, the sound effectively cutting the laughter off and both the bartender and her Mother turned toward her in one menacing motion.

“Oh my God, you too?” Carmilla’s face gazed at her with pity, “I mean, yeah I had fun with you and all, but come on! What did you expect would happen?

The devil grinned arrogantly and raised her hand in some kind of signal, immediately the horde of demons had scattered. Multiple clicks made Laura freeze, the chilling realization that this situation could in fact get worse now in the forefront of her mind.

She slowly twisted her head to stare down the muzzle of a shotgun just inches from her face. Unable to take her eyes off of what she was sure would be the last thing she would ever see, the blonde fought every instinct she had to react. Instead, she took a deep breath and examined the scene before her as much as she could without moving.

She wasn’t the only one with a demon aiming a gun at her head, Kirsch’s face was ashen as he watched a man grinning viciously behind the handgun pointed his way. The two angels weren’t in any better of a situation, surrounded by the remaining demons who all had them in their crosshairs as well.

“Well, this all turned out much better than expected,” Lolita taunted her captives, “now there is only one thing left to do. William?”

“Yes Mother?” the deep voice asked from behind the gun in Laura’s face.

“Be a dear and give that to your sister.”

With that, the gun lowered and Will left her side to hand the shotgun to Carmilla who was staring at her mother confused.

“There you are dear, now let’s get this over with so we can get back to work.”

The bartender didn’t make any move, staring mesmerized at the large firearm in her hands.

“Carmilla, I don’t have all day,” the devil stated with beginning signs of exasperation, “William?”

With a feral grin, the young demon strode over to where the server stood in shock. He positioned her so that she was facing the two women before he put both hands on her shoulders and forced her to her knees. Shouts rang out and the sounds of a struggle broke out behind her, a couple screams of anguish pierced the night before the dull thud of flesh on flesh quieted whatever had happened.

“Now why did you have to do something like that? Do you have any idea how hard it is to find good help these days?” Lolita asked, sounding more inconvenienced than upset at what Laura had concluded were the deaths of a couple of her goons. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”

She grasped the rifle in Carmilla’s hands and pushed it upwards so that it was aimed at the server’s head, her orders to the demon couldn’t have been more clear.

“Do I really need to? She is just an your average, unremarkable human. Couldn’t we just use her like all the others?” Carmilla proposed offhandedly.

“Of course that is an option, but no. It’s the principle of the matter. I can't be sure if you have actually fallen for this little twit or not, and there is only one way to be absolutely convinced of your loyalty. Now get rid of her already, I’m starting to get bored.”

The devil’s indifference made the blonde’s jaw drop, but not nearly as much as what happened next. Carmilla give a careless shrug before bringing the gun up once more and aiming it at the server’s head.

Laura’s heart fell and shattered into innumerable pieces as she took in the bartender’s emotionless visage.

_Oh hell no, if this is how I die I am not going without a fight!_

It took everything she had, but Laura did what she would have thought impossible for her and refused to look away. Her gaze bore into the brown eyes she foolishly had fallen in love with as the brunette raised the shotgun and stared down the barrel at her.

Almost inaudibly, the brunette whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

Time stopped, both girls staring unflinchingly at the other as Laura found herself hoping Carmilla was reading the resoluteness that her aura must be screaming.

The demon blinked first, something flickered in her eyes but was gone before the blonde could identify what it was. In its wake, hardness took its place. Laura closed her eyes and took a deep breath before releasing it in a resigned sigh.

Her eyes snapped open as she stared unwaveringly up and into the gaze she had believed would be her future, but had instead turned out to be her demise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH SHIT!  
> Well, the good news is that the next chapter will be up sooner rather than later. Bad news is you have to wait even a second before finding out what happens...  
> Don't worry, you know I always take care of you.  
> Thank you all so much for staying with me this far! As always, let me know what you think in the comments!  
> **Follow me on tumblr, my inbox is always open! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/butiwilllove


	15. If It Means The Death Of Me, I Won't Let Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I can already hear everyone's hearts breaking...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING:  
> Violence  
> Major character death
> 
> Title song: Halo by Starset
> 
> Guys, all I can say is... Good luck.

-Carmilla-

Laura’s brown eyes felt like they were piercing her soul, her face set in determination as she stared up into what she honestly believed to be her death. The brunette swallowed the lump in her throat as she put the butt of the shotgun to her shoulder and looked down the barrel at the woman that she loved.

The server’s aura screamed defiance and brazen rebellion, acceptance and resolve.

Carmilla took aim, never more proud of anything or anyone than she was of the woman kneeling in front of her unflinchingly.

_And it’s that courage that is going to save them all…_

In a fraction of a second, the brunette swung the rifle around and fired. The look of complete astonishment on Mother’s face as her figure collapsed to the ground looking more like a strainer than a body told her she had put on a convincing show.

_Too bad it isn’t permanent…_

At that exact moment, Danny freed her wings and hurled herself at the man holding Kirsch at gunpoint, taking him down with barely any effort. Once he was out of immediate harm she returned to Perry’s side, though the woman didn’t seem to need any help with annihilating the fiends who had surrounded her on all sides. The demon would never cease to be amazed at how angels were able to maneuver so easily with such enormous wings, nearly twice as large as her own and majestically white.

Carmilla released her own wings from their confinement, shredding her shirt in the process. She pivoted and had to do a double take when she saw that Laura had remained on her knees, eyes wide and stone still. Her aura was pulsating with confusion and relief, unable to keep up with what was unfolding around her.

“What the hell are you doing?” she screamed at the girl, jerking her back into reality, “Get Up!”

The bartender discarded the shotgun as she grabbed a hold of her arm and yanked her to her feet, slicing through the ties around her wrists as four of her Mother’s lackeys sped toward her. In a single motion, Carmilla threw Laura behind her and spun, roundhouse kicking one of them directly in the jaw and sending him crashing into the one on his left. In a flurry of blows and growls, the bartender morphed her fingers into claws and easily immobilized the group, leaving them in a bloody display of severed wings and agonized moans before returning her appendages to their original forms.

_I need to get Laura out of here._

As soon as she returned her attention to the blonde however, she was surprised to find the space unoccupied.

“Looking for this?” a voice leered, signaling a spike of dread to shoot down her spine.

Carmilla glanced to where the statement came from and saw a particularly ugly demon with a crazed smile, his face pinched with multiple scars that hadn’t healed well. He held Laura captive against his body, a knife to the blonde’s throat and a hand over her mouth.

She grit her teeth as fury overtook her, “I am going to fucking kill you”

“That certainly is a possibility,” he replied tauntingly, “but with the flick of my wrist I will be taking your girlfriend here with me if you try.”

Chocolate eyes bore into hers, pleading and frightened. The brunette felt the arrival of Perry behind her before she saw the angel stride confidently into her unmoving line of sight.

“Everyone calm down, no need to be rash here,” she uttered smoothly in an attempt to diffuse the situation, “no one else needs to be hurt.”

He scoffed, “You and I both know there isn’t any way I am getting out of this alive. So if I die, then this one does too.”

Perry took a slow, non-threatening step forward but halted when the man pressed the blade more sharply into Laura’s neck in response, a drop of blood swelling at the tip, “Oh no you don’t, take another step and I will kill her.”

All eyes were set on the seraph, waiting breathlessly for her response.

With his attention on the angel standing before him, Carmilla took advantage of the distraction to begin inching her way along the wall of crates. The darkness hid her miniscule movements as the scene in front of her continued in its stalemate.

The bartender sent a silent thank you to Danny as an abrupt and deafening crash that was an entire column of crates tumbling inward made for the opportunity she had been searching for. As the demon holding Laura watched the debris crush her jeep and effectively cut off that end of the alley, Carmilla made her move.

Caught off guard, the he was yanked backwards and away from his human prisoner. His feet never even touched the ground before the bartender detached his wings from his body in one swift motion.

She dropped what was left of him, every hair on her body suddenly on end in response to the appearance of a very sinister intent. Carmilla was already moving as she felt both angels react in unison to this threat they had somehow all overlooked.

Will had lain low during the fight, unnoticed as she and the angels had cut a path through his allies. Now he stood to the side, the shotgun she had thrown away in his hands and aimed directly at Laura. A blast rang out, echoing into the night sky.

Without hesitation, the demon threw herself in front of Laura just in time to shield her from the stinging buckshot. Carmilla felt her body jolt and an unfamiliar feeling spread through her, everything and everyone froze as she glanced down to see her pellet riddled torso.

_I expected that to hurt a bit more honestly…_

She glanced up to see the blonde’s eyes wide in shock, her mouth agape. The distinct _click-click_ of the gun had the demon throwing an unnecessary plea to Danny who was already scooping the server into her arms. The blonde saw what was happening and screamed “No! Carmilla!” but was too late to stop the events already unfolding.

Danny shot skyward as another blast alerted Carmilla to her fate a fraction of a second before she felt the fragments tear through her outstretched wings that were frozen in pain from the previous discharge.

A shriek from behind her signaled the end of Will’s short life at Perry’s hand.

Danny landed a few feet away, the threat now completely eliminated. As she uncovered Laura’s trembling form, she allowed the girl her first real glimpse of the carnage that had transpired.

“Oh God… Carmilla!” the blonde cried, jumping to her feet and catching the brunette who didn’t even realize she had begun to fall forward. Her body was beginning to feel cold and understanding washed over her.

_You know, it’s not as bad as I thought…_

-Laura-

Laura’s brain raced to keep up with everything that was happening. She saw Carmilla standing over her protectively; a trail of blood began trickling from the edge of her mouth. Movement behind her drew her eye to Will who was cocking the shotgun he had just fired before leveling it once more in her direction.

The realization that the brunette was about to take another round of fire began her cry of “No! Carmilla!” but was interrupted when a blur of red and white caught her by surprise. Without warning, Laura’s stomach dropped as she felt herself shoot upward so fast that she screamed for an entirely different reason.

Danny was pressing her tightly to her body nearly one hundred feet in the air, hovering as they watched Carmilla’s body jerk as behind her Perry relieved Will of his wings.

The blonde began to struggle, thrashing her body in an attempt to get to the bartender below. Immediately they began to descend and within seconds, her feet were on the ground once again and she felt the angel’s arms release her.

She ran to the demon as her body swayed and began to fall forward, nearly hitting the ground before the blonde caught her at the last moment. The majestic black wings collapsed with her, landing at an awkward angle and revealing a dusting of small holes punched through them and her back by the buckshot. The street light above her illuminated every individual wound, blood covering her as it gushed from the woman she loved.

The server cradled the bloody and broken body against her own protectively as from the corner of her eye she saw Kirsch coming to from his shock, the two angels peering at her with mirrored looks of empathy.

Laura couldn’t take her eyes off of the bartender bleeding freely in her arms, the brown eyes she had fallen in love with were hooded and a pained smile graced her bloody lips.

The demon haltingly raised her hand and cupped the server’s cheek, her eyes never leaving Laura’s. Her shrapnel-riddled figure was shaking and she opened and shut her mouth a few times as though trying to speak, however the only sound being emitted was a gurgling sigh.

“Carmilla, Carmilla it’s ok,” the blonde was talking so quickly she could barely make out her own words, “you will be alright. I’m here, I’m right here. Don’t worry, we won. We won and you are going to be fine…”

Her incoherent rambling was cut short when out of nowhere came a feeling. She didn’t know where it came from, but without warning Laura was immersed in loving warmth. She observed the scene around her from what felt like a distance. She felt safe, cared for and understood and as if everything would be okay even though literally nothing was. There was a disconnected calmness that took over her body, a breath of relief that didn’t belong to her.

She saw the light in the brunette’s eyes dimming and as much as she tried to deny it, she knew what was happening. Laura cradled her demon, bringing her lips down to the bartender’s bloodied face and placed a kiss upon her forehead.

“Everything will be alright,” she whispered almost inaudibly, but she knew she was heard, “I love you Carmilla.” She felt herself choke up, tears overflowed and streamed down her face as she used her hand to brush the brunette’s hair from her face in an attempt to soothe the dying woman, “I promise I will never forget you.”

A smile reached the demon’s eyes one last time before the beautiful brown eyes Laura had found peace in lost focus and closed, taking the immersive feeling of love and calmness with them.

Laura grasped Carmilla to her with everything she had as her own emotions crashed over her, unwilling to let the woman she loved go. Every ounce of energy and feeling she had in her body burst from her lips in a scream of pure anguish as she surrendered herself completely to her tears.

\---------------------

Everything felt surreal; the only thing she noticed was a burning pain that engulfed the upper right side of her chest. At some point, Laura had managed to figure out that the pain was radiating from the scar she received that night.

_That night with… her._

The world and everyone in it felt distant, as though beheld from behind a wall of glass. She watched numbly as events unfolded before her.

_Perry and Danny cleaning up the scene at the docks._

_Danny bringing her home._

_Her father running out to meet them, worry etched on his face at the sight of the copious amounts of blood that Laura had barely noticed._

_Danny leaving them alone._

_Her dad cleaning the blood that covered her and patched her wounds._

The blonde came to slightly as her father held her at arm’s length, repeating himself with a tone of worry that she hadn’t heard since… then.

“Honey, please talk to me. What happened? What’s wrong?” his voice shook as he tried his best to obtain any information about the events that had transpired.

“We won,” she whispered too low for him to distinguish, so she cleared her throat and repeated herself, “We won.” She choked back a sob as she tried brought herself to finish her statement, “And Carmilla is dead.”

Silence reigned; the server avoided her father’s gaze as she felt tears force their way from her eyes.

_Breathe, you need to breathe. You can do this._

She had barely finished the thought when she was proven so incredibly wrong. Laura looked up at her father, confusion contorting his features.

“I’m sorry honey, you lost me,” he began slowly, clearly unsure of how to word his thoughts, “Who won what?”

He paused, the silent pity in his eyes gave away his next words before he even had a chance to utter them.

“And who is Carmilla?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please please pLeAsE comment your thoughts! I want to know what is going through your head and what you think this all means and so on! But most of all please tell me any and all criticisms you have for this story (so far). Also, remember there is still an epilogue left, I promise I won't be leaving you hanging here.  
> **Follow me on tumblr, my inbox is always open! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/butiwilllove


	16. Even If You Cannot Hear My Voice I’ll Be Right Beside You Dear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we find out that everything happens for a reason, even if we don't understand it at the time...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song: Run by Snow Patrol
> 
> Well everyone, it has been a blast. I have had so much fun writing this fic and that is thanks to everyone who gave me feedback honestly. I won't keep you because I know you want to know what happens, so go ahead, but don't forget to read the end notes please and thank you :D

Epilogue

(A Little Over Two Years Later)

 

“Who is that?”

“Who is who? You mean that girl at the bar?”

“Yeah.”

“She is a regular, comes in once a week by herself and gets the same thing every time. Two drinks, but only touches one. I’ve never seen her actually…”

She was used to this reaction by now, the hushed conversations about her odd behavior, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. The woman took a sip of her Jack Daniels on the rocks and extracted a small phone from her pocket, My Grown Up Christmas List by Kelly Clarkson played in the background. She flipped the device open (an unusual thing these days with all the smart phones) and dialed her voicemail, entering her password when prompted. She then settled back in her seat with a smile on her face as she waited for the recording she had memorized a hundred times over to begin. It started as it always did, an awkward pause and a thoughtful groan, she could see in her mind’s eye the slim fingers running through those familiar brunette locks.

_Hey there Cupcake, it’s me. Ok, so you might not know who ‘me’ is… Let me try this again._

_So yeah, it’s Carmilla. If you still don’t know who I am, please hear me out before you delete this message._

A pause and a deep sigh could be heard as the caller chose her words carefully.

_You may not remember me, but there is no way in hell I will ever be able to forget you. You changed my life in more ways than you can ever imagine, and I am so grateful to be able to call you my friend. I don’t know how tonight will go or what will happen, but I need you to know that whatever happens will be worth it if you are listening to me rambling right now._

_However this ends, I know you will be great. You showed me that there are more important things than simply surviving, you taught me what it means to be brave. I just hope that when all is said and done, I will be able to make you as proud as you make me. And before I mess this up again, Laura… I love you too._

A sad smile turned Laura’s mouth up at the corners as she mouthed the words that ended the recording, one of the last shreds of evidence that proved to the world that Carmilla wasn’t merely a figment of her imagination. The blonde flipped her phone closed and lifted her glass, clinking it against the untouched shot of Jack that rested beside her on the bar top.

“You idiot,” she whispered to the shot glass, tipping what remained of her drink into her mouth, “I was always proud of you.”

The woman stood and retrieved her coat and various items of clothing, throwing them on as she prepared to exit the warmth of the bar for the icy air outside. She pulled a twenty from her pocket and tossed it on the bar top, catching the bartender’s eye and mouthed ‘keep the change’.

She shot one final glance at the undisturbed amber liquid and bowed her head, whispering, “I miss you Carm.”

With that, she fit the buds into her ears before walking into the frigid December night. The scar on her chest burned, a familiar sensation that always accompanied any thought pertaining to Carmilla. The blonde pulled her scarf tighter reflexively against the snow, mentally preparing herself for the mile long walk she had ahead of her. She dug her hands into her pockets and found the ancient IPod, holding the button in the center of the circular touch pad to turn it on. A second squeeze started her playlist, a tradition she had promised herself she would never cease.

_Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer_

_Do you know you’re unlike any other?_

_You’ll always be my thunder, and I said_

_Your eyes are the brightest of all the colors_

_I don’t wanna ever love another_

_You’ll always be my thunder_

_So bring on the rain_

_And bring on the thunder…_

As the music played, her mind began to wander.

The weeks following the incident had been her worst, she had withered away in depression. It was made exponentially worse due to the fact that she couldn’t even answer the questions everyone had for her.

_What’s wrong?_

_What happened?_

_What can they do?_

She had felt like Bella Swan in the beginning of New Moon just less pathetic only to realize about two months in that she actually was being that pathetic. Since then, Laura had picked herself up and swore to herself she wouldn’t let Carmilla’s death be wasted. She had saved her life and even though the blonde didn’t know for sure, she had a good idea those phantom emotions she had felt as the demon had taken her last breaths were how Carmilla had described being able to project her emotions.

This was, however, only a guess since the only two people who could have confirmed or denied her suspicions had disappeared a week or so after everything went down. Danny and Perry had stopped by her house, bringing her hot soup and the news that they were being reassigned elsewhere. This realization had brought fresh tears to the blonde’s eyes but she couldn’t exactly argue, they had their orders and there were people who needed their help.

She hadn’t seen or heard from either angel since.

The server ducked her head against the freezing gusts that made her unable to feel her nose and hastened her step. The city streets were a wind tunnel this time of year, gusts whistling between the skyscrapers making the air about twenty degrees colder than it actually was. Her apartment building was in sight when she felt her feet fly out from under her, the mind numbing pain in her backside as she hit the ground had her stifling a cry of pain.

She stood shakily, brushing away the snow that covered her back and sent a silent prayer that no one had seen that. It may be Christmas Eve but Laura was beginning to understand a bit where Scrooge was coming from with the grumpiness in lieu of holiday cheer. She had been scheduled to work all day for the past week at the fancy restaurant that paid her bills now that she lived in the city, and she barely had twenty four hours off before she would be working doubles again for the next two weeks.

Having finally reached her building, the blonde unlocked the door and hustled into the warmth of the building. She stomped the snow sticking to her boots off and ran her fingers through her windblown hair before making her way up the 5 flights of stairs to her apartment where she couldn’t wait to lay down and get some heat on her aching butt.

It seemed that God had other plans however.

“Laura! Oh good, you’re home!” Lafontaine chattered excitedly before she had even opened the door fully, “You are just in time for desert!”

She groaned inwardly as she stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind her, shedding about ten pounds of clothing to reveal her disheveled work uniform.

“Can’t I skip desert? I’m not hungry and I’m so tired I’m pretty sure I fell asleep at a couple of my tables today…”

“Nope!” Laf called joyously, “This is not a democracy so get your butt in here and have some pie!”

She let out another groan, “I will sit down but first I am going to change into something not stiff with sweat.”

Laura made a quick trip to her room where she exchanged her uniform with a pair of sweat pants and a long sleeved shirt that showed a polar bear in slippers drinking a steaming mug of liquid that she insisted was hot chocolate. She made a quick stop in the bathroom to wash the grime from her face before returning to the kitchen feeling much more able to socialize.

“Hey there you sexy thing!” Kirsch’s voice boomed as she stepped into the room, “How was work? Make enough to pay rent?”

“Yeah, and some.” She sighed as she fell into a chair, wincing as her body reminding her brain about her recent fall. “I hate to be a Scrooge but I’m really tired and kind of just want to go to bed.”

“Too bad,” the redhead quipped, shoving a plate created to give diabetes in front of her, “eat this then we are opening one present each before bed.”

“But…”

“No buts,” they inserted, giving her a stern look, “we do not break tradition.”

Laura gave up and began eating, realizing she actually was hungry and having to slap Kirsch’s wandering hand several times to protect her sweets.

The plate was empty within minutes and after helping with the dishes, the three roommates moved to the living room where a small tree was standing. Beneath the sparkling lights wrapped around the arbor lay a small pile of gifts, not much but all the three young adults could afford as they started their lives in the big city.

“Who wants to start?” Kirsch asked as he settled himself into the old chair he had found on the side of the road and, ignoring his roommate’s horrified arguments, had relocated here.

“I’ll go,” the server volunteered hoping to get this over with as soon as she could before she tucked herself away and listened to Christmas music, imagining what the holiday with a certain brunette would have been like.

“Actually… no,” Lafontaine interceded, “I want you to open my present tonight but well, it hasn’t come yet. It should be here soon though.”

“Oh, ok…” Laura sat back confused but unwilling to argue the point.

“Then I’ll go first!” the man-child bounced out of his chair and began rummaging through the small pile of gifts until he found one with his name on it. He sat back and declared, “This one is from Laura, I wonder what it is?” he asked conspiratorially, shaking the package with a smile on his face.

He tore into the paper to reveal a small box, ‘Acqua Di Gio’ in fancy script displayed on the front.

He turned to the blonde and smiled, “You know, I figured out a long time ago that you keep getting me this because you like the way it smells.”

“Then why argue the point?” Laura shot back teasingly, “Put it on already, I feel like the smell of garlic has made a permanent home in my nose.”

He grinned at her and opened the box, spritzing himself and waving his hand to waft the scent in her direction. She grinned and made a show of taking a deep breath, rolling her eyes in euphoria.

“Ok, enough of your awkward flirtation.” Laf interrupted, “It’s my turn!”

They launched themself at the largest of the gifts, a knowing smirk plastered to their face.

“Heyheyhey!” Laura called before they could tear into the packaging, “That’s the big one, why don’t you open one of the small things? Kirsch and I got you that to open in the morning!”

The puppy dog eyes Laf was giving her made her sure they knew exactly how effective that look was.

“Fine, but no complaining when you only have the two cheap gifts to open in the morning!”

They made it until the second word before they tore into the paper of the large box, exposing the picture of a top of the line microscope that had set her and Kirsch back by at least 2 months rent each.

“Oh. My. God.” They enunciated before squealing in happiness.

“Well, at least we know they like it.” Kirsch stage whispered to Laura before sticking his fingers in his ears dramatically against the shouts of joy coming from where Laf was on their knees examining their new toy.

“Well, I guess it’s time for bed then,” the blonde inserted before feigning a yawn.

The red head’s attention turned to Laura so fast she almost felt like she had whiplash.

“Wait! You can’t go to bed yet! You haven’t gotten your present yet!”

“But Laf, you said you wanted me to open yours and it’s still not here yet.” She reminded them as she rose to her feet, stretching her aching muscles.

“But… but…” they stuttered, obviously looking for an excuse to keep her there.

The sound of the buzzer near the door saved them the trouble of making an excuse. They jumped up and held down the intercom, “Come on up!” before pushing the button to unlock the door and allowing their visitor admission into the building.

Fighting sleep but still curious as to what Lafontaine wanted to give her so badly, Laura settled herself back onto the couch to wait. She shared a mutual shoulder shrug with Kirsch who apparently was equally in the dark about this as she was. Lafontaine’s grin was bigger than anything Laura had seen, a mischievous glint in their eye had the server suspicious of what would come walking through the door they were standing beside.

“Could you answer the door when they get here? I will be right back.” They ran down the hallway to their room before Laura could argue. Moments later a knock sounded at the door.

“Coming!” she called to whomever was waiting on the other side of the door, giving her friend a questioning look as she passed him. “Hmmm, wonder what it could possibly be…” she teased as she open the door, “Is it a puppy? A car? Or maybe a……”

Her jaw dropped to the floor as she began to question her sanity.

In front of her stood Danny and Perry, both dressed impeccably and looking more like models than people who had just braved the same weather she had. Perry was smiling at her warmly while Danny was arguing with a dark haired woman with her back to the blonde.

“And for the last time, I don’t care how fast your little ‘errand’ will be. You promised me that as soon as we got back our first stop would be Silas!”

Laura was frozen in shock, her mouth hung open as her brain tried to make sense of what she was seeing.

“Well I don’t know why you would want to go to Silas when I’m pretty sure the person you are looking for is actually right behind you,” Danny motioned to the server with a devious grin, “and you should really be more polite when you visit people or they might not invite you into their home.”

Still unable to comprehend what she was seeing, Laura watched the woman’s body freeze. Her head began to slowly turn and her body followed until she stood face to face with the blonde.

She looked just the way she had all those years ago. Her wavy raven locks spilled down her back and framed her face. She wore dark skinny jeans that accentuated her figure and was wrapped in a stylish coat with a cream colored scarf around her neck. Her eyes widened in recognition and Laura noticed the dark circles caused by the extreme stress of that summer had disappeared.

“Holy crap…” Kirsch’s disbelief seemed to be a common feeling, “I remember you! But you died! And you two are angels! What the hell…” He plopped back into his chair as the memories came crashing down on him.

In the doorway, Laura stared into the brown eyes she had dreamt of nearly every night for years, incredulously opening and closing her mouth.

“Ca… Carmilla?” Laura whispered, “But… it can’t be…”

“Laura? My God, it’s you.”

“No,” the blonde stepped out of reach when the woman before her stretched out her hand to touch her cheek, “no, you can’t be her. Carmilla is dead, I held her in my arms as she died.”

“Laura, what’s wrong? It’s me, I’m back.” Carmilla said, confusion clear on her face.

“Laura?” Danny interrupted, “Trust me, this is a complicated situation. Let’s all go inside and we will explain everything ok?”

The server stared at the angel for a moment before stepping aside to admit them into the apartment. They filed through and Perry closed the door behind her once they had all squeezed in.

The blonde put her hands on her hips, “Ok, now someone explain to me what is going on. Why does she look like Carmilla, is this some kind of sick joke?”

The brunette looked like she had been slapped in the face, “Laura, what are you talking about. It’s me.”

“Let’s say for a moment I could believe that you really are Carmilla, how could you be? You told me yourself that if you died that you would be erased from existence, that you would cease to exist and you would be erased from memory. Albeit, I remembered you, something that has to be related to this scar you put on me since it burns like hell whenever I so much as think about you.”

“I don’t know…”

“I’m not done,” Laura inserted, “Even though for some reason I was able to remember you, no one else does,” she shot a look at Kirsch who looked incredibly confused, “well, no one else DID. Since everything you told me about this kind of thing has happened, how do you even still exist?”

The brunette looked completely lost; every question being asked seemed to be overwhelming her.

“I don’t know, but somehow when I died, something happened. I’m not a demon anymore… I’m one of them now.” Carmilla was cut off by the incredulous look she was receiving.

“Laura…” Perry began but was cut off with a glare from the blonde.

“No, if you really are Carmilla, demon or not, then prove it.”

A glint appeared in the woman’s eyes and a familiar spark of confidence seemed to bloom inside of her at the challenge, “Now that is something I can do. Laura Hollis, you claim to always choose Toad when we played Mario Kart because he is the lightest and therefore must go the fastest. You love laser tag and Doctor Who, you snore and your favorite mug is shaped like the TARDIS. You don’t like coffee but you are borderline addicted to hot chocolate. You’ve always wanted a pet but your dad won’t let you get one because he is allergic to basically all animals…”

The brunette trailed off when Laura raised her hand to stop her, “Those things don’t prove anything. Those are things that literally anyone could know about me.”

A shit eating grin that squeezed at the blonde’s heart grew on her face, “I’m not done,” the brunette mimicked the server’s words back to her, “Your favorite books used to be the Twilight series though you won’t admit that to anyone. You claim that the mark on your ankle is a birth mark yet years ago you cut yourself and when the scab came off, so did a chunk of the ‘birth mark’. You are scared of the dark when you are inside but not when you are outside, and you may tell your two oldest friends almost everything but they don’t know that you like to sleep with the toy dog your mom won for you the last time you went to the boardwalk together. Oh, and you asked me what kind of animal that Piglet from Winnie the Pooh was in all seriousness, then begged me to never tell anyone that you hadn’t figured out that the characters were named after the animal’s they were until you were twenty-one. You have one hiding spot for everything, and that is on…. Ooof!”

Laura had frantically launched herself across the two feet or so that separated them and embraced the woman she thought had been erased from existence. She felt the angel catch her and both women held onto each other for dear life. Tears began to leak from her eyes and she pulled away only enough to give her the freedom to kiss every inch of Carmilla’s face as the bartender did the same.

“Laura, it’s ok. I’m here, I’m right here,” she comforted the frantic blonde, “I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

“It’s you, oh God it’s really you! I’ve missed you so much…” the server sobbed into her shoulder.

Carmilla rubbed her back comfortingly and kissed her forehead, “I’ve missed you too, these past few weeks without you seemed like they would never end.”

Laura froze at the words, backing away from the newest angel slightly to look her in the eyes.

“Few weeks?” she asked puzzled, “What are you talking about?”

“Since everything happened, I still don’t know how honestly. After that night on the docks, I woke up to these two idiots…” her explanation trailed off into silence as she took in the confused look on the blonde’s face, “What?”

“Carmilla,” the server started hesitantly, “it has been more than ‘a few weeks’ since that night.” Her statement was followed by a look of bewilderment on the brunette’s face. Laura looked her dead in the eye, “It’s been over two years.”

The bartender’s eyes bulged at the revelation, “What? No, it couldn’t have been…”

“It is, Carm I’m almost twenty four. It’s Christmas Eve, you died at the beginning of September more than two years ago.”

Laura watched her reaction as she struggled to understand. The oncoming sound of footsteps from the hall signaled her errant roommate’s return. In a very drastic turn of events, Carmilla turned and lunged at Lafontaine with a snarl, “You!”

They jumped just out of reach just in time for the brunette’s nails to slash the air where moments before their head had been. The room exploded into motion, Danny and Perry pinning a struggling Carmilla against the wall as Kirsch checked to see if Lafontaine had been hurt.

“What the hell are you doing?” the blonde yelled as the bartender’s struggles began to weaken.

“Ask them!” she growled, “Ask them why this all happened when they could have prevented it!”

Both Laura and Kirsch turned to look at Lafontaine, wondering what the heck Carmilla was talking about.

“Oh, come on! You know you aren’t supposed to say stuff like that!” they whined at the flailing brunette.

“Ok, everyone needs to stop and someone needs to explain what the heck is going on here,” the blonde ordered.

“Well, we don’t have much of a choice now that our newest recruit has outed me,” Laf sighed, “You two can let her go.”

Danny and Perry obeyed, dropping the angry Carmilla who rubbed her arms where she had been held against the wall.

“I can save you the time,” the brunette growled and pointed toward where Lafontaine stood, “They are God.”

Silence hung heavily before Kirsch and Laura scoffed simultaneously at the ridiculousness of that statement.

Kirsch struggled to speak through his laughter, “Laf? God? Yeah ok, sure.”

“You do realize we have known them for our entire life right? How could they possibly be God?” the blonde questioned, trying not to outwardly laugh at the idea.

Both were surprised when the answer to their questions came from behind them instead of from Carmilla.

“Actually guys, she is right.” The two friends turned in unison to stare at their mutual lifelong friend. “Maybe we should all sit down so I can explain?”

The two humans had to be herded toward the couches since both seemed to have frozen at the newest revelation. Lafontaine stood in front of the tree, facing them like a teacher in front of their students.

“Wait just a minute,” the server began, “how could you possibly be God? You grew up with us! And isn’t God supposed to be a ‘He’?”

Lafontaine laughed at the question, “Well, you know how they say I’m omnipotent and omnipresent? Well, this is how I am able to be. I live with you, beside you; I grow up with you and interact with you. However, humans seem to have taken creative license when it comes to me. Mankind as a whole has always been so concerned about gender, but there isn’t even an ironclad gender binary for humans, why would there be one for the person who created humans?”

Laura couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Wait just a minute, you actually expect us to believe that you are God? Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?”

They grinned at the blonde, “Probably just as crazy as angels and demons existing.”

“Ok, then explain what happened to her,” Laura motioned to where Carmilla sat beside her, “How did she not just disappear from existence? How was I able to remember her when no one else could? How is she suddenly an angel?”

“And why did more than two years barely feel like two weeks?” the brunette added.

"Ok, everyone slow down,” Lafontaine interrupted the questions that seemed to be coming from all directions, “I may be God but I can only answer one question at a time, at least in a way that your human minds will understand. Now, can anyone tell me what I always say?”

Three blank faces answered their question, Danny and Perry shared a knowing look before the latter raised her hand jokingly and answered, “’Just because things have always been one way doesn’t mean they always will be. Every so called absolute in existence just hasn’t met the person who will prove it wrong.’”

“DING! DING! DING! We have a winner!” they exclaimed like a game show host, “Following in that vein, she didn’t disappear because she repented. I’m not saying Carmilla suddenly became a saint, but she saw that what she was doing was wrong and changed her behavior in response to that realization. And to answer your earlier accusation yes, I could have prevented everything that happened but what would that have done?”

“It would have kept us together…” Laura mumbled under her breath.

“Yes, it would have kept you together, but then you wouldn’t be where you are now. I may have created you but I don’t control you. I gave you all free will for a reason, and that means I won’t interfere. Plus, your free will gives me so much more to work with. For example, it was Carmilla’s free will that allowed her to escape the devil and be reborn as an angel. She is the same person that she was, but at the same time she isn’t. And in her absence, you have learned an extremely valuable lesson.”

“What lesson have I learned from this?” the blonde scoffed, anger boiling under the surface, “That you took the woman I loved away from me, had me believing she was dead, when you could have just told me what was happening? You watched me suffer and kept your mouth shut, doing nothing as I questioned my own sanity and didn’t lift a finger while my depression ate me alive.”

“I understand your anger Laura, but no. You learned a life changing lesson, both of you did. You learned what it feels like to be loved and what it feels like to lose love, but most importantly you have learned that you are able to survive the extreme loss of love. You picked yourself up, dusted yourself off, and kept going. You did that, all by yourself. And if Carmilla had been here you wouldn’t have been challenged how you were and wouldn’t have known just how much you can take and still get back to your feet. And Carmilla, if I had prevented the events of that summer, you wouldn’t have needed to find the strength to stand up for yourself and what you believe is right. You both found that you don’t need the other to keep going, you both did that yourselves.”

The anger simmering under the surface began to dissipate as Laura began to realize that they were right. She had stood back up and brushed herself off from a crushing blow that she thought would kill her. Carmilla’s hand reached over and rested itself on the blonde’s thigh, a reassuring smile on her face.

“Ok, I see your point. So answer me this, did you put yourself in my and Kirsch’s lives on purpose?”

“Of course I did,” they responded in a tone that said that the answer should have been obvious, “there was no way I was going to miss this.” They waved their hand to indicate they were referring to Laura and Carmilla as a pair.

“Us?” the brunette asked confused.

“Yes you, do you have any idea how long I have waited to see you two meet each other? There are few events I have looked forward to more than the two of you meeting. If you hadn’t noticed, I’m a bit of a romantic at heart.”

“You were looking forward to us meeting?” the server questioned, pausing before turning to the bartender beside her, “Wait a minute, is that what that overpowering feeling of adrenaline was when we first saw each other?”

“Oh yeah,” they laughed sheepishly, “sorry about that. I got a little excited…”

Her internal curiosity was being over taken by her extreme fatigue and she fought to stifle a yawn.

“Lafontaine dear, don’t you think we should let these two go to sleep?” Perry offered, “We can finish answering questions in the morning.”

“Oh wow, you’re so right. Sorry guys,” they looked at their roommates ashamedly, both of whom were fighting to keep their eyes open, “Perr’s right. Carmilla, you can stay in Laura’s room obviously, Perry you can share my bed, and Danny…”

“She can use my bed, I’ll take the couch,” Kirsch offered and stood from where he sat quietly during the conversation, “I will just grab my pillow and a blanket.”

“You don’t have to do that…” Danny began but was interrupted.

“You’re a guest and a lady, I’m not letting you sleep on the couch.”

The tall seraph rolled her eyes as she stood, following in his wake, “don’t give me that chivalry crap, stay in your bed. I’m fine.”

The argument faded into rapid footsteps as they raced to his room, both intent on taking the couch.

“Laura?” the brunette whispered, touching her and making her jump as she returned to reality, “Come on, let’s go to bed.”

“What? Oh yeah, okay.” She allowed Carmilla to help her up and they headed to her bedroom.

The second the door shut behind them, Laura pushed the seraph onto her bed and fell in beside her, cuddling up to her as the tears began.

“Hey, hey what’s wrong?” the bartender asked, holding the trembling woman against her.

“I missed you so much…” the blonde was finally able to blubber out between sobs.

The admission caused her to hold the girl even tighter, “I missed you too. I promise, I’ll never leave you again. Never.”

Laura managed a small head nod to communicate she had heard her before snuggling into her embrace even more. Between her aching muscles and her teary eyes, the server barely lasted a minute or two before the warmth and comfort of Carmilla’s embrace put her to sleep.

The angel smiled and kissed the girl on the forehead, “I love you so much Laura.”

\----------------------

The night was brutally cold and the snow seemed unending. A lone figure rose from where it had sat huddled on the fire escape of the next building, a spot he picked specifically for the clear line of sight into the neighboring apartment. He brushed the icicles that had formed on him as he made his way down the steps, a malignant smile on his face.

_Oh yes, I think she will be very pleased with this information…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please PLEASE PlEaSe pLeAsE leave criticism, this is my first fic. Thank you all so much, I will hopefully have the first chapter of the second part up in 2-3 weeks or so.
> 
> Credits:  
> This fic was the brain child of the song Angel With A Shotgun by The Cab and a series of books I read back in high school called the Halo Trilogy (Halo, Hades, and Heaven in that order) by Alexandra Adornetto.
> 
> **Follow me on tumblr, my inbox is always open! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/butiwilllove

**Author's Note:**

> I am not sure how many people will actually read this, but any and all comments and critiques are appreciated. I love writing but life has gotten very overwhelming so this is my first work in a couple of years. I will do my best to update as regularly as possible, and I promise to respond to any feedback I am lucky enough to get. Thank you so much for reading, it really does mean a lot.  
> **Follow me on tumblr, my inbox is always open! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/butiwilllove


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